Ladybug and Wonder Woman: Gods and Gems
by Mixedfan8643
Summary: The highly anticipated sequel to Miraculous Knight, Ladybug and Cat Noir join Wonder Woman as they fight to protect the world from the Apokaliptian daughter of Darkseid herself, Grail, as she plots to restore her father to his full strength. Will the Miraculous powers combined with the strength of an Amazon be enough to prevent the return of Darkseid...?
1. Prologue: Princess of Themiscyra

**Author's note: Due to the HUGE success of Miraculous Knight, a co-op story written by my self and my friend Reece Wooldridge (who you can find on DeviantArt under the name Tails-2-Me) that featured Ladybug and Batman crossing over, both me and Reece brain-stormed on a possible sequel to MK. And we have one here for you now. But this isn't a crossover between Ladybug and Batman. Nope, this time, it's a crossover between Ladybug and Wonder Woman! ;)**

 **It is still in continuity with MK of course, it's just that instead, we're going to be seeing Ladybug and Cat Noir with a different DC hero this time around. We all hope you enjoy this story and love it as much as (or more than) its predecessor. Happy reading and hope you enjoy this new crossover spectacular! :D**

* * *

 _Prologue. Ladybug of Themiscyra._

Long ago, on an island safely tucked away from the hungry eyes of the vicious, warlike humans that sort to conquer land and strip away any freedom and happiness with brutality, there was a young girl with dark hair, running through the food markets, giggling away at losing her older pursuers as they called out after her, frustration and fear in their voices. The girl didn't understand any reason for why they were worried, for this was an island that she wouldn't get lost on, for this was her home, the home of the Amazons. This was Themiscyra.

"Diana!? Diana, for goodness sakes, come back!" her tutor yelled as she shoved through the crowds of civilians going about their business, catching a glimpse of the little girl as she took to the tree branches in front of the balcony up front of her.

Diana giggled as she reached the thin tree in her way, wrapping her arms and legs steadily around it and slid to the bottom at a fast pace, making her tutor's heart leap in fright.

"By Hera, your mother will be livid!" she yelled as she darted to the stairs to get after Diana, who dashed through the bushes, sliding down the gap that took her down to the training ground that held the many Amazon warriors that were letting their fists do their work.

Hiding near the biggest tree that sat at the end of the training ground, Diana watched on with awe as she saw her Aunt Antiope block a sword that swung towards her, gut punch the Amazon that came at her, throw her over her shoulder, then swipd another with her legs when she caught sight of the Amazon running to her. Antiope proceeded to help the two Amazons up, giving them a pleased nod before pulling them close to give them advice. Diana loved that about her aunt, so strong, yet so willing to pass on advice to those she trained even after she won over them in a fight. That was the kind of warrior she aspired to be, if only her mother didn't keep restricting her so much...

"Running away again, Diana?" squeaked a soft voice that almost made Diana jump from her hiding place.

She then beamed when she caught sight of the small black dotted, red creature that floated down to her, smiling gently as she looked down at the girl.

"Well it's boring, Tikki! I've been taught enough history lessons, don't you think?" she asked in response, her voice full of innocence, "Don't you think I should be a warrior now? That's what being an Amazon is about, isn't it?" Diana asked again, getting Tikki to giggle in response as she floated next to the little girl.

"Being an Amazon isn't all about fighting, Diana. I'm sure your Aunt Antiope would tell you that." she said in a reasonable voice, just as Antiope gave a punch to the solar plexus of another Amazon, before taking her to the ground with a roundhouse kick. Both Diana and Tikki saw this.

"Are you sure?" Diana asked with a smile, making Tikki roll her eyes with a smile of her own. Or a smirk as she heard a few footsteps behind her.

"Why don't you ask your mother?" Tikki asked as a tall figure stood over Diana.

"Yes, or why don't you tell me why I shouldn't be pulling my ears off after hearing your tutor that you ran away again?" spoke the levelled voice of Queen Hippolyta, making Diana really jump out of her hiding place this time, getting the attention of Antiope and the other Amazons, all of whom smiled in delight upon seeing her.

Queen Hippolyta stood in her gown that has the most balanced of purple with golden markings trailing over her, a gold crown and headpiece holding a bright red star sitting in the centre, and bright gauntlets sitting on her forearms. Her face was so young yet held a lot of wisdom of the many fighting she endured and of the many people she saw. She looked at her daughter with a lifted eyebrow, making Diana blush as Tikki giggled, before looking up to her mother with innocent eyes.

"Um, I'm sorry, mother?"

Tikki put her small arms on her hips as she sat on Queen Hippolyta's shoulder.

"Don't know, what do you say, Hippolyta?" she asked as the dark, long haired woman crouched down in front of her daughter, her eyes full of seriousness, yet a hint of light was in them.

"Not sure. Do you think a "I will not run away again" will do, Tikki?" she asked with a smirk, getting one off of Tikki

Diana pouted, feeling even more embarrassed by how they were both teasing her. That was when Antiope came over, dressed from shoulder to toe in dark brown armour, her boots' metal straps clanking as she walked. Antiope smiled as she looked down at Diana, who looked at her with the most begging of eyes.

"I'm up for training her, if she's a willing learner." Antiope said, getting a slight groan from Hippolyta, while Diana smiled pleasantly.

"See, Aunt Antiope thinks I can do it!" she exclaimed, getting a giggle from the blonde Amazon.

"I said I was up for it if you are willing to listen. So how can I teach you if you don't do as your told?" she asked, making Diana throw her arms in exasperation.

"But I want to be like you, Aunt Antiope! I want to fight like an Amazon, I want you to teach me!" she begged, getting a smirk off of Antiope.

"Being an Amazon isn't all about fighting, Diana." she told her, getting Tikki to smile in pleasure as Diana pouted again.

"There you go, Diana" she said lightly as Hippolyta stood up.

"She will be trained when I feel she's ready, Antiope. That's when she's finished doing her translations of the ancient languages" she reminded as the tutor finally reached them, breathing loudly from all the running.

"I'm sorry about this, your majesty!" she said as she patted her chest, making Tikki float in front of Diana with a bright look in her eyes.

"We all have to learn other things before we go on doing what we want, Diana. It's what will help you in your training, and later in life" she pointed out as Antiope smoothed Tikki's head, "Tikki carries a lot of wisdom, Diana, and she's seen many people go through similar situations as you have. You should listen to her..." she said, but gave Diana a wink, telling her she was only saying what Hippolyta wanted to hear.

"See, even your Aunt Antiope has the right words to say, now will you please go back with your tutor?" Hippolyta asked as she brought her over, the Amazon giving Diana a look that was just enough for Diana to know that she wasn't going to have anymore of this. Diana sighed and walked towards her.

"Yes, mother" she said quietly, but gave Antiope a wink as she walked by her, getting a smile from the Amazon general.

That was when the brightness of the sun faded for a moment, catching everyone's attention as they looked to the sky. It was then they could see a ripple of purple coming across the sky, as if they were being sent a message of sorts. While Diana was as confused as any young child would be, Hippolyta, Antiope, Tikki and the rest of the Amazons turned grim as they knew what this meant. Hippolyta turned to Antiope.

"Get them ready, I'll meet you by the beach. They must be there. Tikki, you come with me. Diana, go with your tutor and find shelter" she ordered, only for Diana to clutch at her with a worried look.

"Mother, what's happening?" she asked, not liking the change in everyone's mood.

Hippolyta took hold of her daughter's shoulder gently and walked her towards the path.

"Just get to safety now, Diana and don't come out until everything is all clear, go!" she urged in a voice full of fear and desperation, shocking Diana.

Her mother rarely gotten like this, and being in this mood now was enough to tell Diana that it was bad and that she had to get out of the incoming danger her mother could sense. With that, she gave her mother a hug, stunning her.

"Please be careful, mother!" She begged, getting a small pat on the back in response.

Hippolyta held her daughter close as her heart raced, letting it all settle in that those she deeply loved was coming under attack.

"I will be. Now go. Be safe and wait for us" she told her, letting go of Diana and handing her over to the tutor, who took hold of Diana and carried her off to safety.

Diana stared on as her mother turned to face the long stretch of the sea far out front, Tikki floating closely to her as they took to the path that would take them to the edge of the land. For all Diana knew, this could be the last time she would see her mother, but she deep down felt something telling her that she would be alright. That Hippolyta would see through whatever this was, like every other battle she had taken in.

* * *

Tikki felt the change in mood of everyone was incredibly serious and this was enough for her to keep quiet and take in what it was that they were dealing with. Sitting on Hippolyta's shoulder, Tikki listened in as they looked over the edge of the walls and down onto the beach. The Amazons frowned as they wondered what exactly it was that came to their beaches. They could see that these were not friendly, but they were trying to figure out just what exactly they were.

The creatures, about twenty eight of them, stood at a frightening seven feet tall, their skin somewhat thick and rock like, yet functioned as smoothly as that of a human. They had two arms on both sides of their bodies, with two sets of legs stepping into the sand as softly as possible, yet their legs didn't form to that of feet, but that of pincers. Their front arms carried a weapon, mostly axes, others held hideously vile weapons that seemed like that of maces, double bladed swords and others while their round heads looked hungrily up at the Amazons, their eight eyes full of thick darkness that held such evil in them. Their mouths were covered by sets of claws that would be strong enough to eat a living person.

And this was all that was needed for Tikki to see what it was they were going to be fighting.

"Zhīzhū. It seems they've found me..." she said sadly, guilt building up inside her as she realised that the Amazons and Diana were now at risk of getting killed by these creatures, for they were utterly vile and rather hard to stop. She should know for they were distant relatives, and distant relatives of Kwamis, while lacking in similar powers, had powers of their own that made them quite hard to handle.

Hippolyta patted her head softly as she stepped up in front of the other Amazons.

"Don't be guilty, Tikki. We will fight them off, as you, me, and all of us have always done with many other enemies." she assured as she unclipped the brooch holding her cape.

Opening up a small compartment of the brooch, Hippolyta pulled out a small black dotted red gem, then pulling her sword from her sheath, its handle gold and almost new even though it saw many combat.

Hippolyta slid the gem into her sword's handle, but was then grabbed by the hand by Antiope, who looked worried.

"You have not transformed for years. Can you take it?" she asked with deep concern for her, only for the Amazon queen to smile in assurance as Tikki floated by her.

"It might have been years, but me and Tikki can still do it. Have hope, Antiope." she said softly, making her sigh before smirking.

"Still always going to be Ladybug for us, aren't you?" came the general's answer

"Always. Tikki, let us guide our loved ones into this fight, so we shall win against these vile cannibals!" Hippolyta said as they took another look at the Zhīzhū, all of whom were about to start running at them.

"Are they all ready?" Hippolyta asked Antiope, who readied her sword.

"Yes they are." she replied grimly as she readied herself. This made Tikki float by the sword as Hippolyta looked to her with a look of determination to kill the vile insects coming at them.

"Tikki. Spots on!"

It had been years since this magical transformation had happened. But to Hippolyta, it felt as if it had only been yesterday since she had last used this prodigious power to protect her people. Tikki was glad that she'd be giving her benevolent owner her powers once more. It was her fault the Zhīzhū were here now, so it made sense that she'd help the Amazons destroy them. The Kwami disappeared into the gem on Hippolyta's sword, the Amazon queen holding it up high as the transformation began.

Once the sword was above her head, a wave of pink and red energy emitted from the weapon and spread down onto Hippolyta, seeping over her hands and reaching down to her feet. As it swept over her, Hippolyta's appearance began to change. Her elegant robes became armour of some kind and the armour itself with red with black spots all over, making her resemble some kind of human ladybird. The red was broken up by pieces of silver on the knees, around the waist, just over her breasts and across her collarbone. Hippolyta's hair also changed from black to a fiery red as if to match her armour. The sword itself changed, the handle becoming red with the handguard section completely found and dotted with black spots.

The transformation had concluded and the energy sweeping over her disappeared, allowing the Amazons to see their transformed queen. She was no longer Queen Hippolyta, but instead another of many who had wielded the amazing powers of the ladybug kwami before her. She was now Ladybug, and her red and black dotted armour glistened brightly. Anyone who saw her could tell straight away that she was powerful and that they were in for a fight. Ladybug raised her sword and pointed at the oncoming Zhīzhū, their mouths dripping with saliva as they approached the walls hungrily.

"Now my sisters, let us vanquish these vile beasts and keep the peace on our island once more!" Ladybug yelled, courage and determination vibrating in her cries of war.

Antiope turned to her fellow Amazons and raised her sword high in the air, her pose strong and her grip tight.

"Archers, fire!" she commanded, fierce and loud.

The archers in position did as they were commanded, setting their arrows alight with balls of flame. They took aim down at the beach, before letting go of the strings, sending their weapons down at their hideous enemies.

The Zhīzhū almost fearlessly kept going forward even as the arrows plunged into their chests, merely staggering back a little from the impact, though while they kept up the strong image, some of whom that were hit were set alight in flames enveloping their bodies, letting out horrible cries of agony as they retreated to the water, throwing themselves in to destroy the flames.

Another volley of arrows came flying towards the creatures, only now they hit the sand a few feet in front of the Zhīzhū, creating a fiery wall that stopped their progress. As they clicked their mouth claws in anger, they began to take a few steps back, the lines going off into two to allow one of their warriors to take a shot against the flames. The Zhīzhū they gave way to moved at a sickening speed, its four pincer legs increasing its pace as it took a huge leap over the flames, reaching the other side without a singe.

It looked ever so hungrily up at the walls and made another leap, going for aiming its pincers towards the wall...only to let out one last sickening cry as Ladybug plunged her sword into its back, bringing both down to the sand like a rock. Upon touching the surface, Ladybug drove her sword sideways through the Zhīzhū's body and ripped it out, a splatter of purple ooze shooting from its body, before she drove her blade through its chest, twisting it with loud cracks of the creature's skin, then gave it another shove, finally stopping the twitches its body was giving off, ending its life.

Ladybug looked up, breathing hard as Antiope and several other Amazons joined her side, having jumped down the wall themselves while a few others remained where they were. They looked to see the rest of the Zhīzhū were now coming around the line of flames they put up, all of them ready to use their weapons.

"Shield, Ladybug?" Antiope asked as she saw her fellow Amazons readying another set of bows and arrows.

Ladybug nodded as she pulled a finger ring handle of sorts from the bottom of her weapon, which pulled in her blade, almost as if the blade was collapsible.

"Shield it is, Antiope." came the response as she stood up, throwing her arm forward and swung her hand in a circular way, spinning it fast enough to form an energy shield of sorts, only it increased in size due to the bigger size of her weapon, doing it in time just as the Zhīzhū opened fire on them, shooting thick lines of web at the Amazons from their mouths.

The webs were somewhat reduced to smoke when they hit the energy shield, allowing the Amazon archers to fire, managing to hit a few Zhīzhū with some of their arrows, though those that managed to get a hit did little but slow them down as they bent the arrows or pulled them out of their bodies, given they weren't set on fire. But slowing them down was enough as Ladybug drew back her shield and turned it back into a blade.

She then darted forward at a huge speed, before taking a leap forward and shoved her blade right into the chest of another, taking it to the ground like the other she killed. A nearby Zhīzhū went to shoot Ladybug with its web, but then it found its four arms bound to its waist as Antiope trapped it with a lasso, pulling herself forward and kicking it right in the back, sending it down into the sand before slashing her blade across its back, finishing it with a brutal stab through the wound. With her work done, she took to the next Zhīzhū near to her.

Ladybug looked around her to see her fellow Amazons were now full into the battle, all of them getting up close to the Zhīzhū in their fight. One Amazon used a spear to fling herself in the air and kicked down another Zhīzhū, getting quick to finishing it off, while another Amazons stabbed a spear through the side of another. Another two Amazons flung a net on another Zhīzhū, allowing them to swipe its feet from underneath and getting it onto the sand.

But Ladybug then caught a look of one Amazon losing grip of her sword, her blood almost stopping as she saw the Amazon get bashed across the face by the creature's spikey weapon, seeing clearly it hit her with enough force to break her neck, sending her dead body crashing to the ground.

Angered at seeing one of her people falling by the hand of these creatures, Ladybug pulled on the string again and shot out her weapon from it like a yoyo, sending it shooting across the beach and slashing its back arms off before slashing sideways down its body, leaving it in a gruesome mess as it dropped to the sand.

Letting out a fierce cry, she pulled her weapon back and dived at another Zhīzhū, sliding under its four legs and stabbing it from underneath, going onto cutting it from its legs and slashing its front arms off, causing it to painfully drop to the ground as it lost a lot of blood.

Antiope was grabbed by the neck from another Zhīzhū, who tried to stab her with its own sword, only for the Amazon general to kick it away, wrap her legs around its body and punch its elbow hard, letting out a horrible crunch as its arm was bent the other way. Getting free, Antiope used her legs to pull herself around and stab it repeatedly in its neck, making a huge hole that shot out more blood from the wound, telling Antiope her fight with it was done.

Ladybug dodged an incoming blast of web as she slashed her blade through another Zhīzhū and swiftly kicked another across the face, but it fought back by punching her in the stomach with one of its front arms. This did little to Ladybug, who kicked one of its pincers out of joint, before driving her sword into its chest, finishing it with a vicious slashing of its arms.

Yet as many Zhīzhū fell, Ladybug saw more Amazons falling by the weapons of their enemies. She saw one Amazon leaping at a Zhīzhū, but it cut her down with a swing of its axe, while another Amazon tried to kill another Zhīzhū but found two pincers shoved right through her body and shoved to the ground where she was stabbed repeatedly. Ladybug quickly took down this Zhīzhū by cleaving her blade through her back, only to fall in a firing shot of another Zhīzhū's web. Yet before she could react, an Amazon flung herself in between the two, allowing the web to take hold of her, bravery giving up her life for her leader.

The Amazon found herself somewhat wrapped in a tight cocoon of sorts, causing Ladybug to try to tear her free of its grip, but gasped in pain as it hotly stung her hands, sending her onto her back. She could only watch on helplessly as she saw her warrior had her body crushed by the cocoon as it tightly wrapped itself around her body even more, turning her body into a crunched up corpse.

Ladybug grit her teeth in anger as she saw a Zhīzhū brutally shoving its blade through the chest of another Amazon, only firing up her disgust even more.

"No...no more of my sisters will fall!" the spotty Amazon declared, brandishing her sword, "These vile creatures will not claim another life on my island!"

"What shall we do your highness?" Antiope cried as she ran up to her queen, "These monsters are putting up a good fight and although we have the upper-hand, they could soon turn the tide against us! We need a plan to finish them off even quicker!"

She drew three arrows out of her quiver and loaded them into her bow, preparing to shoot all three at once as a Zhīzhū began advancing towards her and Ladybug. She aimed straight at the creature's head, intending to shoot an arrow each into at least two of its eyes and the third one in the centre of its head. Three arrows straight through to its brain would finish it off easily.

"Maybe it is time to bring out the Ladybug gem's greatest power..." Ladybug thought aloud, watching her sister fire at the Zhīzhū.

The general's aim had been perfect. All three arrows had hit their target straight in the centre of its head and two of its eyes. The arrows had been fired with such speed and strength that they penetrated straight through the creature's skin and eyes and embedded straight into its brain. The Zhīzhū was dead before it even realised it had been hit. The huge beast collapsed onto the sand, blood pouring from its penetrated eyes and forehead. Pleased with her shot, Antiope loaded her bow again to prepare herself for another shot. She turned to Ladybug.

"Are you sure you should use the Lucky Charm power? You know that once you use it, your power will run out and you'll lose the Ladybug abilities." Antiope noted, concern edging her words.

"I know the risks sister, but sometimes they're worth taking to finish the fight." Ladybug declared, "Keep on the fight and I'll see what my Lucky Charm brings me."

Antiope nodded and ran off, her bow loaded with arrows for another shot. Ladybug glanced down at the gem in her sword hilt, her face grim as she knew what the downsides of using the Miraculous's greatest power were. She ran the risk of her Miraculous running out and needing a recharge if this Lucky Charm wasn't enough to finish the fight. But Antiope was right, the fight ran the risk of turning in the enemy's favour. So this risk was one she had to take!

"Alright Tikki, let's see what you give me this time..." she murmured, collapsing the sword's blade into itself and pulling the string out. She spun the weapon around and threw it upwards, yelling out loud "LUCKY CHARM!" as she did so.

Her weapon ended up producing a rather odd shape. It was like an oval object styled like that of a seashell, only coloured bright in red and dotted in black. Catching hold of it, Ladybug took a look at the object and opened it up to see it held a mirror of sorts, only it was a bright pink with a matching glow inside it.

"Hmm...lets see..." Ladybug said to herself as she looked around, her lucky sight coming in with her vision turning grey.

Her sight guided her up to the sky, looking to the sun, which was highlighted with the colour of a ladybug. She was then looking back at the mirrored object that lay in her hands and then to the rest of the Zhīzhū, seeing there was only about nineteen of them left. That was then that it all became clear to her, with Ladybug's eyes narrowing intently.

"No more of my sisters shall fall today...Amazons, get down!" Ladybug ordered loudly, her voice echoing across the beach to all the battling Amazons. Antiope was just about to slash down another Zhīzhū when she gotten the word, and while she was wanting to cut it up, she took her sister's word and flung herself to the sand with the rest of her soldiers.

With everyone having done as she said, Ladybug held the mirrored object high above her in the sun's direction.

"I can only hope it works." she whispered as the sun's beam touched the mirror.

From the surface of the object, a pink energy beam blasted out from it, with Ladybug guiding its way across the beach, hitting every Zhīzhū she could see. The Zhīzhū were alarmed at this and caught sight of those that were turned to ashes by the beam. Sunlight mixed with the power of a Miraculous was very deadly, and there was little the Zhīzhū could do other than try to run, but it didn't help as they soon turned to grey ashes once they were hit by the beam. Except for one.

Ladybug caught sight of the last Zhīzhū as it turned back towards the water, trying to escape back to the world outside of Themiscyra. Scowling, Ladybug pointed the beam at the Zhīzhū's four legs, watching on as they were reduced to small clouds of ashes. She watched as the Zhīzhū pathetically dropped in the water, trying to drag itself away from the beach. But Ladybug didn't stop there.

Antiope and the other Amazons watched on from where they were as they saw Ladybug silently walk towards the Zhīzhū, closing the object as she put her foot on its chest. They could only watch with their chests tight as Ladybug spoke to the wounded insect creature.

"You dare come to my shore, intent on capturing my friend, and kill many of my sisters. Something as disgusting as you should not go back to wherever your master is. If any of you come here again. I will find your master..." she trailed off as she raised her foot high and then stomped it right through the Zhīzhū's chest, her foot covered in the purple blood and chunky guts of the big insect, "And I will crush him or her, just like that." she said, her voice full of hatred as she pulled her foot out of the chest, the Zhīzhū falling back into the water, dead.

Ladybug sighed as she stepped back and closed her eyes, tears wanting to run from them as her heart cried out for her fallen Amazons, for what she was about to do would do little to make things better.

"It's time to cleanse the beach of this evil." she said as she then threw the round object up into the sky.

"Miraculous Ladybug!" she yelled.

The objected was then enveloped in a pink light that shot around the beach, spreading across the remaining bodies of the Zhīzhū and had them vanish into nothingness along with their weapons. It wasn't long until the pink light came back to Ladybug, flying into her sword once its work was done. Ladybug opened her eyes and stiffly removed the gem from her sword, and in a flash, she stood there no longer as Ladybug, but as Hippolyta, her clothes and hair normal again. Tikki reappeared by her side, a sad look on her little, round face.

Before anything could be said, a cry of pain reached their ears. Both Hippolyta and Tikki ran to the source of the cry, for it was an Amazon, laying in a big pool of blood that was drenching the sand. Coughing up blood from her chest, the Amazon looked tiredly into Hippolyta's eyes as Antiope and the other Amazons gathered around them. Tikki felt a deep shiver go through her as she fully looked on, already feeling her life fading.

"Y-Your majesty...I'm so sorry...I wasn't strong enough..." the Amazon let out, only for Hippolyta to grab her hand and gently smooth it.

"No, don't you be sorry, sister...I...I should have used my Lucky Charm earlier...none of you should've been killed..." Hippolyta tearfully let out, her out reaching out to her dying sister, who then put on a weak smile.

"No...it's okay...we are...Amazons...we fight together...die together...whether you are Ladybug or not...we always fight, not alone, but together...do not blame yourself...Ladybug..."

The Amazon stared long and softly up at Hippolyta and Tikki, her eyes full of the last lights of life, and full of forgiveness. Hippolyta couldn't help but feel her heart stop as she saw the Amazon's eyes then go still, now lifeless and empty, while her last breathes had silenced to nothing. Tikki felt a cold chill come over her own heart as she saw this, for being the Kwami of life, feeling only one person die around her was enough to bring down her warm spirit. She closed her eyes and let two small tears trail across her small face.

Hippolyta, Antiope and the surviving Amazons lowered their heads in respect for their sister, with Hippolyta closing the Amazon's eyes to make sure she could now rest, for it was over. The Amazons loved life, and to lose any one of their own would deeply hurt them, for they were family, no matter what.

Tikki could only feel a huge wave of guilt coming over her as she saw the rest of the Amazons that had died on the beach, up to about eight of them, some of whom were cocooned by the webs and crushed up, others with huge wounds from the Zhīzhū's weapons.

"It's all because of me...I'm so sorry, Hippolyta." she said quietly, guilt clear in her voice.

Antiope looked over at Tikki with an accusing glare. The Kwami shuddered. The general was terrifying when she looked at anyone like that!

"What do you mean it's "because of you" little one?" she said, her voice like venom, "Do you mean to imply YOU are responsible for this bloodshed?" she gestured to the dead Amazons sprawled over the beach as she said that.

"Antiope, that's enough." Hippolyta said firmly, "Our sisters wouldn't want us to fight with our own."

She held a hand out for Tikki to sit in. The Kwami sat herself down and Hippolyta patted her head softly as if she was stroking a cat. Tikki felt the guilt inside her slip away a little upon receiving such comfort. She always enjoyed it when Hippolyta petted her.

"Tikki is not responsible for what happened general." the queen explained, "Those Zhīzhū vermin acted on their own accord. They came here because they sensed Tikki's presence. This would've happened no matter where she was. Regardless, there is no reason to blame little Tikki for what's happened."

"That's right everyone." the little Kwami agreed, "I didn't tell those monsters to come here and attack you all! But I still feel responsible for their attack. If I hadn't stayed here then none of you would've been caught up in this slaughter. I really hope you can all forgive me for all this death." she added, her eyes welling up as she prepared to cry again.

The Amazons all shared sympathetic glances towards the pink creature in their queen's hands. Nothing in the world felt worse than having death on your hands and feeling responsible for it. They could understand Tikki's guilt. Antiope herself was regretting her earlier challenging tone, feeling she was just pouring more grief onto the poor Kwami when she was guilty enough already.

"You don't need to be sorry." the general insisted, "You weren't to know they'd eventually find you."

"And we're Amazons!" cried one of the warrior women, "Amazons live to protect one another! Our sisters died to protect our own. You don't need to feel responsible for their deaths. We would've fought them, whether they came for you or not, and happily died to protect our island just the same."

"That is why we're always training and preparing ourselves for war." Hippolyta added, "Even in peace, war always lingers. Remember, one of our greatest enemies is the literal God of War himself, Ares. We prime ourselves for combat on the possibility he may return. It's these traditions that prepared us for this invasion today. And your presence helped us claim victory Tikki. You knew the enemy and you were able to provide your amazing powers to one of us to fight off those creatures. I understand your feeling responsible, but remember that you're just as responsible for our victory today. We owe this victory to you Tikki."

She concluded her testimony with a warm smile that showed she had meant what she'd said. Despite still feeling guilty, Tikki couldn't help but beam in return, feeling warm and touched inside by her owner's kind words. The queen always knew what to say, no matter the situation.

"I...I really don't know w-what to s-say your majesty." she said bashfully, "I'm j-just glad I was here to s-stop the Zhīzhū with you."

"As am I. Tikki, I'll always be there for you as you were there for me out in the rest of the world before we came here. You taught us so much after we came here, made us remembered what life means, restored our hope. If there is indeed another life beyond death, I can only hope our sisters that died today are resting beyond the Gates of Elysium." came Hippolyta's soft response as she put a small kiss on Tikki's head, allowing her to nuzzle her chin.

Hippolyta casted a sad glance over the dead bodies of their Amazons, before turning to Antiope.

"Gather our dead, and ready the funeral pyres. Be gentle with them." she ordered, getting a quick nod from Antiope.

"Yes, your majesty. And do we send word to Diana? Should she come out now? Or after the funeral perhaps?"

"After the funeral." Hippolyta decided, "I wouldn't want to let her see the horrors that have occurred on this beach. She's too young to witness blood and death."

Antiope knew that she didn't disagree with her sister. Let the child keep her innocence until the time is right, there was no need to sully it with this massacre. Antiope turned to pick up the first body for the funeral. The other Amazons began to disembark and pick up corpses to take away as well, handling them with great care as if praying against all odds that the bodies might still be alive and mishandling them would cause great discomfort to them. Hippolyta led the way off the beach with Tikki in her hands as the Amazons all climbed towards the wall to get off the beach and return to their village. Hippolyta mourned for the lost Amazons, but another part of her had one thing in mind. How would she explain all this to Diana...?

* * *

It had been a while since Diana had come out of hiding, yet she had seen no sign of her mother or her aunt. Worry filled her young heart for a while. She could tell the enemy had been dealt with, but with very little word being spoken about the Amazons that went into the fight, Diana couldn't help but think that her mother or aunt might had been hurt rather badly, and her tutor was keeping her back to stop her from seeing the state of them.

For what was a few hours seemed like an eternity for Diana as she studied more with her tutor, learning the ancient languages the Greek Gods communicated in, ranging from different words, to looking at different signs that represented each god. Diana wouldn't admit it, but a part of her was fascinated by the myths of the Greek God pantheon, for how Zeus ruled fairly and stood up for what he believed was right for the world. Hera was who had her most interest though, for while she sounded loving and brought about balance with her kindness, she was full of utter fury that could level the whole of Olympus. Diana could only imagine what she would do to an army of enemies on Earth with all she heard of Hera, whether she would talk them out of a fight or use her powers to wipe them out. Diana honestly preferred the former, not liking imagination of the all loving goddess bringing about a lot of death.

It was then that Antiope entered the cave, catching her attention and the tutor's, giving her a nod.

"Is everything alright, general?" she asked.

"Yes. I'm here for Diana, her mother has sent me for her." Antiope said as she gestured for the tutor to leave. After she did so, Diana smiled as she hugged Antiope, happy to see she was alright and still standing.

"You are okay! I knew you would make it!" she said happily as Antiope lifted her into her arms.

That was when Diana noticed how small her smile was and how distant her eyes were. She looked as if she had been crying.

"Antiope? Are you alright?" she asked quietly, getting her attention.

Antiope brushed her face a little and smiled a little.

"I-I'm fine...the battle was...very hard, Diana...you'll know everything when I bring you to your mother." she said, carrying her out of the cave.

Diana noticed how she stuttered and how she struggled to even give her a full explanation with her trailing off. And it took a lot to make Antiope get like that along with the hints of her crying. And that was enough to tell Diana that the battle was a bittersweet one.

It was night time when they had come out of the cave, the fires lightening up the darkness to help guide them around the city. They had soon come to the beach walls that towered high over the beach, which now looked grey in the night. Her mother was there, with Tikki floating next to her, both of them quiet as they looked over the beach.

"She's here, your majesty." Antiope said as she reached the Amazon queen and the Kwami, both of them giving as small nod as they stood by their sides. They were all quiet for a bit before Hippolyta spoken up, talking to Diana.

"Many of our loved ones had died today, Diana. All killed in the most gruesome of ways...this is what happens, Diana, when you go to battle. You will lose those that fight with you. You have to remember that...if you are to ever become an Amazon." Hippolyta said, her voice stiff as she tried not to let her emotions get the better of her.

Diana could only look at her mother with wide eyes of horror as she let this sink in, before looking out at the beach with sad eyes. Diana always saw her older idols as near invincible, strong, and never to fall injured or killed in battle. It was always a hit to the stomach to remember like all living things, they could be killed.

Hippolyta looked to her daughter again with eyes full of seriousness.

"Do you still desire to be an Amazon, Diana? Even knowing you have death to cope with?" she asked sharply, making her daughter look to her with her own young eyes sharp.

"Yes. I still do...it's what I want to be." she said, her voice full of confidence.

Antiope then placed her hand on her back, getting her attention.

"Then why do you want to be an Amazon, Diana?" she asked, leaving Diana thoughtful for a moment. Given she was young, she had to think her answer carefully.

She soon answered, "Because...because I want to be strong. To be brave. To help those that need every help they can get. Just like how you did, back when you were out in the world."

Small smiles came over the faces of Hippolyta and Antiope, seeing the honesty in Diana's response. Tikki smiled too, though she hovered into her face with a hint of sadness in her eyes.

"Diana, to become an Amazon, you must understand the importance of life. To understand what death means, to know when the time is right to pass over to the next realm. To see who needs the help and when to make the right choice. It has to be a balance of your head, and your heart. I want to teach you, that, Diana. And I want to do it soon." she said, her voice full of care in her approach towards Diana, who's mouth opened a little in shock.

"You...you would help me...you would, Tikki?" she gasped, getting a nod from the Kwami.

"Yes. It will be hard, but I promised I would teach you all I know before I leave. Being an Amazon isn't all about fighting, it's about embracing the right of life and understanding the world. We will all help you. But are you ready for it?" Tikki asked as she looked Diana in the eyes, trying to see if she had an answer there.

The child princess turned over the Kwami's words in her head, making sure she had understood everything. It was incredible, especially for someone her age, to think that there was so much more to fighting and being an Amazon than just throwing punches and kicks and swinging weapons around. As Tikki had let her know, the world was much more than it seemed and life was full of balance. If she was to become an Amazon now, she would be playing a part in life or death situations. She could easily be killed just like any other Amazon could. It was becoming very clear to Diana that warfare wasn't a game just like she had often fantasized it as. But did any of it matter to her?

Diana turned back to Tikki, her mind fully made up. The word she was about to say would change the lives of not just herself, but everybody on the island...and even the world itself forever.

"Yes. I am ready for it." Diana declared, "I'm ready to train and become the greatest Amazon Themiscyra has ever seen!"

The determination in her voice was enough to make Hippolyta, Antiope and Tikki all gaze at the princess in astonishment. To hear such courage and brevity from the young child was incredible. She maybe a child, but she clearly had the heart of a warrior just as much as any Amazon on the island. With the answer given, Diana looked back from one to the other, anxiously awaiting their response. Something told her they weren't going to take it well. But then she received the answer she didn't think she would get, and it came from Hippolyta.

"I'm rather pleased to hear that my dear child." the queen replied, "I had hoped you would share the determination to protect lives that all your sisters do. I know it seems like I've tried to strive you away from warfare, but I knew deep inside that I couldn't keep you from your birthright. You were clearly meant to be an Amazon like all of us."

"That is why we will all train you to become as strong, brave and compassionate as your sisters before you." Antiope declared, "We will make you not only strong, but the strongest that any Amazon can ever be. I have a feeling that when your training is complete, you will amount to something wonderful."

"A wonder woman perhaps." Tikki suggested, "An Amazon who can save lives, protect the helpless and fight off monsters to save the world!"

Diana smiled with delight. She was finally going to become an Amazon warrior just like her mother and her aunt! At long last, she was going to be what she'd always wanted to be! She was so excited that she began to bounce up and down. This earned a teasing smirk from Antiope, who folded her arms and shook her head.

"You can't be a great warrior if you act like that little Diana." she snickered, "A true warrior is disciplined and proper. You'll have to try and curb your excitement when training begins or you'll not get anywhere."

Diana stopped what she was doing and bowed bashfully.

"Sorry Antiope." she said meekly.

"We'll begin training in the morning." Hippolyta announced, "It is late and we must rest for the night. I hope you sleep well my daughter, you will need plenty of it." she said, embracing Diana as if she was saying goodbye to her, which in a way she was. She was saying goodbye to the childlike innocence of her daughter. Diana would sleep a child and awake a warrior come the next morning.

"I won't let anyone down mother. I promise." Diana swore, embracing her back.

Tikki watched the tender scene with wide eyes, feeling a little sad for her owner. She knew full well what the queen was feeling. It was like they were wishing a fond farewell to the child they knew and preparing to give welcome a warrior. She would miss the days of fun and innocence that she had spent with the princess. But the Kwami knew that it was the right thing to do. Diana had to become a warrior just like the Amazons. They couldn't keep her sheltered forever.

Yet neither of them could even imagine what great things were in store for Diana. Tikki had suggest she would become a wonder woman who would save lives and protect the world from threats. Many years later, she'd soon realize how appropriate the name "wonder woman" would become...and what incredible feats she would achieve in the world of men, the world outside of their paradise island...

* * *

 _ **Interesting isn't it to see what things were like when Tikki used to belong to Queen Hippolyta and how she used to be Ladybug? ;)**_

 _ **With the prologue over, we return to the present as we catch up with Marinette and Adrien after the events of "Miraculous Knight". Hope to see you then readers! :D**_

 _ **Credit goes to my co-writer, Reece Wooldridge (Tails-2-Me) for the story idea and joining me to produce this sequel. You're awesome pal! :D**_


	2. Chapter 1: Negative Aftermath

_Chapter 1: Negative Aftermath_

 _"What…what is this? W-where am I?"_

 _These were the only words that came out of Marinette Dupain-Cheng's mouth as she took in her surroundings. It was all so sudden how she'd woken up in this strange, featureless void. One moment she'd been sleeping, the next, she'd woken up here. There was nothing but black all around with the only source of light being a single spotlight that shone over her as if framing her against the pool of darkness around. The bluenette could still feel ground beneath her feet, which was strange enough despite the fact there were no features to see, not even a floor. She just shrugged, content she could at least stand and walk around. Marinette began to walk forwards, hoping to find any discernible sign of life in this black void. The spotlight followed her, seeming determined not to let her out of its light. That made the French teen feel uneasy. Why was it following her? Who was even shining the light to begin with? She wanted to look up but it was too bright to see anything so she didn't even bother, just keeping her head down and looking straight ahead. At least with the spotlight, it wasn't total darkness and she could see herself._

 _"I've spent most of my days fighting akumas and trying to track down Hawk Moth, but I've never been through anything THIS strange!" Marinette exclaimed, glad to hear the sound of her own voice, "Where am I? And what even IS this place?!"_

 _She continued to walk, hoping to see signs that she was still in the real world after all. That was something else strange about this world. Time seemed to be non-existent here. She was sure she'd been walking for a long time, yet she still hadn't found anything. Was she even moving forwards at all? To what had seemed like minutes, she was still in a void of black as if she hadn't even moved from the spot she had woken up in! The teen superhero began to feel increasingly nervous. Was she in one of those weird dreams where no matter how long you walk for, you never truly go anywhere as if the scenery is just endless and no amount of walking would change anything? After several more moments of walking, Marinette decided to stop right there and ask for help._

 _"Maybe Tikki can help me out." she mused to herself, reaching down to her purse and opening it up, "Tikki, what's going on here?"_

 _But to her shock and horror, the purse was empty! Tikki was nowhere to be seen. It was like she'd just vanished! She frantically ran her hand around the purse to make sure her eyes weren't deceiving her. She couldn't feel Tikki anywhere inside. She really was gone! Marinette now felt her heart pounding in fear as the icy grip of terror began to close around her. Stuck in a black void and no Tikki! What was she going to do?!_

 _"Oh no…no, no, no, no, no! Not you! Not you! Where did you go Tikki?! Where are you?!" she squealed in fright._

 _ **"Your Kwami cannot help you now, foolish child!"** boomed a terrifying voice that made Marinette leap about a foot in the air. The voice had come as such a surprise that she had to check her heartbeat to make sure it hadn't stopped._

 _She looked around, searching for the voice. It had been loud, deep and ominous, yet sounded vaguely familiar. Why was that? Was it the voice of an old enemy? Perhaps even…?_

 _"Who's there? Where are you? What's going on?" Marinette cried, "Did you bring me here?"_

 _ **"Why or how you got here is of no importance."** the voice boomed again, **"But you know full well who I am little girl. You've spent your entire days hunting me down and foiling my akuma minions from taking your Miraculous!"**_

 _That was when another spotlight suddenly turned on, showing that Marinette was no longer alone in this featureless world. Marinette put her hands to her mouth in shock, unable to believe her eyes. She could feel her legs trembling, threatening to give way at any moment. The spotlight that had turned on was shining over a man in a purple suit with oversized black lapels, a silver mask with a butterfly marking around the face and carrying a cane. Her shock turned to fury for the blue-haired teen knew exactly who this was._

 _"Hawk Moth! You sadistic monster, how dare you show your face again after what you've done!" Marinette snarled, her voice sounding savage and hateful which sounded strange coming from the usually meek, mild and kind girl she usually was, "How are you even here anyway? The Joker killed you!"_

 _ **"Fie! I cannot die! I am immortal!"** Hawk Moth sneered, pointing his cane straight at Marinette like a rapier, **"I am like my akuma, you cure one and another takes its place! Not even The Joker can take me down my child."**_

 _Every time he spoke, his voice sounded amplified and echoed ominously all around; making it sound like his voice was coming from everywhere at once._

 _"Then maybe it's time I finished what he started." Marinette growled, clenching her fists with rage._

 _ **"I do not see how you intend to finish me off when you have no Miraculous to fall back on my dear."** the purple-suited man sneered, **"We all know that you're not Ladybug without your Miraculous!"**_

 _"You're wrong!" the French heroine declared, "It was never my Miraculous that made me Ladybug! I'm Ladybug, with or without my Miraculous! And I don't need my powers to take you down!"_

 _She then roared a savage battle cry as she threw herself at Hawk Moth, intending to rip him apart limb by limb. All the people he'd akumatized, all the lives he'd ruined, all the corruptions he'd been behind, all the damage that had been caused by his mad schemes, it was enough to make Marinette want to drive something sharp into the man's heart. Beating him to a pulp would have to do though. She was sure she was strong enough for that. But as Marinette charged into Hawk Moth, something surreal happened. The butterfly-themed villain vanished in a puff of smoke the moment she hit him! Marinette cried out, scrambling to keep her balance as she found herself hitting empty air but she had been going too fast and the surprise had been enough to cause her to trip and fall over flat on her face. She got up on her hands and knees, shaking her head as she registered in what had happened. Just behind her, the purple smoke that drifted in the air spiralled around and reformed into the shape of Hawk Moth. The masked man looked down at Marinette with a cruel smile on his face._

 _ **"You deceive yourself."** Hawk Moth crowed, **"Do you think that you could've stopped my akumas if you hadn't been given the Ladybug earrings? Without the Miraculous, you are nothing Marinette. Nothing special at all, nothing even "Miraculous" about you…just a clumsy baker who's always falling over herself and obsessing over a crush she knows she'll never get a chance with. Speaking of which…I believe you know my son?"**_

 _He pointed ahead with his cane. Marinette looked in the cane's direction and saw another spotlight turn on just ahead. To her delight, it wasn't another villain out to get her, but in fact, her beloved Adrien Agreste. The girl jumped to her feet and ran over to her love, keen to feel his arms around her and forget this hell she was in._

 _"Adrien! Thank goodness you're here!" Marinette shrieked delightedly, "I was beginning to worry that I wouldn't find you here!"_

 _But just as she was about to throw her arms around Adrien, the blonde-haired teen did something strange. He drew his arm back and slapped her hard across the face. He had done it with such force that Marinette found herself falling down onto her side. A tear of pain leaked from her eyes as she felt the sore spot on her face where she'd been hit. What was going on? Adrien NEVER hit her! She looked up at Adrien, who was now glaring down at her with hostility in his eyes. If looks could kill, then Adrien's face was pure murder. Marinette cowered on the floor, scarcely able to breathe as she saw the hatred in her boyfriend's eyes._

 _"A-A-Adrien? W-w-what are y-you doing?" she stuttered, "W-w-why did you h-h-hit me?"_

 _"Did you really think that I would ever love you? ME?" Adrien retorted. His voice was a sneering tone of mockery, as if taunting the girl, "Why would a rich, famous model like me EVER fall in love with the likes of YOU? You're below my notice Marinette! I'd rather hang out with Chloe! At least she's not always being a colossal failure like you are!"_

 _He then proceeded to grab Marinette by the neck and hoist her off the ground. Despite his lean build, Adrien showed surprising strength by lifting Marinette up off the floor as if she weighed nothing. She may as well be an empty sack in his hands. Marinette struggled in Adrien's grip, trying to stay conscious._

 _"A-Adrien, please!" she whimpered, choking as the boy's grip tightened around her throat._

 _"I'm Adrien Agreste! I'm the son of Hawk Moth himself!" the teen model sneered, "Why would I ever love you? You're nothing to me Marinette! You deserve to be forgotten forever!"_

 _The boy's crippling words were like daggers through her heart. Marinette couldn't keep herself from crying as she acknowledged what was being said. Tears streamed down her face but Adrien showed no mercy to her. He still had that cruel smirk on his face as he continued choking the poor girl. Hawk Moth stood beside him, looming over him like a devil on his shoulder._

 _ **"My son is following in his father's footsteps it seems…"** he crowed, **"And why not? It's in his blood to be like his father…"**_

 _Marinette couldn't do anything more as Adrien's grip tightened around her neck. As her eyes closed, she thought she caught a glimpse of what looked like the butterfly logo on Hawk Moth's mask forming around Adrien's face. That explained everything now! He'd been corrupted by Hawk Moth! He wasn't himself! She tried to speak, to try and appeal to Adrien's better half but her voice wouldn't come to her. She was finding it increasingly harder to breathe as her air supply was diminishing. Marinette was completely helpless, doomed to suffocate at the hands of her own boyfriend!_

 _But then just as it seemed like it as all going to be over for her, the Agreste family suddenly vanished, once again in a puff of smoke, and the spotlights shining over them shut off. Marinette collapsed onto the floor, clutching her neck to relieve the pain she'd been given by Adrien. It felt good to breathe again. She stood up, wondering what was about to happen next. Where did Hawk Moth and Adrien go? Had they just decided to abandon her? She wiped her tear-soaked eyes as she tried to pull herself together._

 _"OK…OK…this is just Hawk Moth trying to mess with me…I won't let him get to me!" Marinette declared, "I've handled worse than this!"_

 _But she soon ended up eating those words for another spotlight switched on. Marinette turned to see what it was illuminating this time. What she saw was the worst thing she could ever lay her eyes on. There were two bodies lying on the floor with the spotlight over them…dead bodies. And they weren't just any bodies…they were the bodies of Tom and Sabine Dupain-Cheng! Marinette screamed as she took in the sight of her dead parents. They were laying lifeless, blood oozing from bullet wounds in their heads, chests and stomachs. The sight was enough to make Marinette fall onto her knees in anguish._

 _"NO! MOM, DAD! NOOOOOOOOOO!" she wailed, tears coming to her eyes a second time._

 _As she cried, she didn't notice that somebody was approaching her from behind, cackling menacingly as it came closer to her. Once it was directly behind her, Marinette heard the laughing and turned around to see the face of her parent's killer. What she saw was the cackling, chalk-white, red lipped smiling face of The Joker, the number one arch-enemy of Batman himself. He was holding the revolver that he had used to kill Tom and Sabine and he now pointed it at Marinette, clearly intending to shoot her. His maniacal cackles were echoing, making it sound as if even the world itself was laughing at her. Marinette stared at the revolver, petrified and unable to move._

 _ **"Hello Marinette!"** The Joker cried, his voice amplified and booming like Hawk Moth's voice had been, **"Ready for some fun?! My, my, my, look at you! Tear soaked cheeks and that mouth turned upside down! You look very miserable! As I like to say…ha, ha, ha, ha…WHY. SO. SERIOUS?!"**_

 _He then pressed the gun directly into Marinette's forehead, making the French teen shudder. The cold steel of the gun barrel was like death itself and she could already feel the bullet slamming into her brain now, and The Joker hadn't even fired it yet. The Joker laughed again, his finger tightening on the trigger._

 _ **"Well miserable girl…let's put a smile on that face!"** the clown criminal shouted excitedly, **"Once I pull the trigger, you'll never feel a problem again! Just a nice, quick escape into insanity as you realize that you're no longer in the world of living! Don't worry…death is the best release one can get! AH, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA, HA!"**_

 _Marinette closed her eyes and waited for the trigger to be pulled and her death to come. But while she heard a tremendous bang sound, to her amazement…nothing had happened. The Joker had vanished, and so had Tom and Sabine's bodies. The teen heroine even felt her forehead, amazed to feel no bullet wound. Everything was fine. It was like the gun had fired, but no bullet had come out. What else was going to happen in this crazy world?!_

 _But it seemed time wasn't going to give her time to figure it out for something else began to happen now. The black void had finally changed into something else. She was now in space, but somehow still able to breathe despite this fact. Marinette even took a few breaths to make sure she wasn't imagining this. Air still came to her. This was enough to tell her something was not right about this. How can she be in space and still be able to breathe? The blue-haired girl looked around and saw that she was looming above the Earth itself. But there was something wrong. The Earth itself…was completely engulfed in a raging inferno. The entire planet was burning huge flames of fire that flickered wildly. It was like watching the world's biggest bonfire display, just on a planet-sized scale. If hell was a planet, chances are it would look like the Earth right now. Marinette stared in horror, unable to believe that this was really happening and that she was really looking at this. What must it be like on the planet below with all this fire burning everywhere?! And then she noticed something else was happening. There were red beams that seemed to be coming from the planet and heading straight towards her. The teen girl screamed and tried to run but it was hopeless. She couldn't move at all. She was just stuck spinning through space as the beams came towards her. She could feel them as they swept over her, turning her whole vision red. It was like she was on fire! She was burning up! And then…_

* * *

…she woke up. Marinette sat up in her bed, gasping and panting as if she'd just run a marathon. She clutched her chest, feeling tense as she looked around. She was back in her own room. The Earth wasn't on fire and she was no longer in space looking down at it. The nightmare had finally ended and she was now here, safely back in her own bed, in her own room and in her own home. Relief swept over Marinette like a wave. She had never felt so happy to wake up in her life. She lay back down in her bed, her head softly sinking into her pillow.

"Oh thank god…" she muttered to herself, "What a horrible nightmare! And it felt SO real! Thank goodness it wasn't…oh my gosh…"

She ran a hand over her forehead as she played back the events of the nightmare. What a horrible ride it had been from start to finish! Sure was sure this had come about from the events of Hawk Moth and The Joker's alliance to get the Miraculouses and kill Batman. What else would've brought this up? And yet something didn't quite add up about it. The Earth on fire, the red beams coming to her…what did that mean? She was just asking that question in her head when a familiar voice whispered to her.

"Marinette? Are you OK? I hear you muttering in your sleep and you woke up screaming! Did you have a nightmare?"

Marinette felt her heart leap in joy as she recognised the voice, for it was Tikki, coming out of the little house Marinette made for her in her room. The Kwami's round eyes were full of concern as she reached the girl, who gently took hold of Tikki in her hands, which were shaking slightly. Tikki took hold of one of her thumbs gently, giving her a comforting look.

"Just breathe, Marinette, okay?" she reminded, watching as the blue haired girl nodded and took a few more steady breaths, feeling her heart thumping a lot more calmly than how it was just now.

"Thanks, Tikki...I'm sorry for waking you, I didn't mean to..." Marinette said with guilt, only for Tikki to smile.

"Don't be. Tell me what's wrong. What was the nightmare?" she asked gently.

Marinette took a bit of time to reply as she wiped her head so as to make sure she wasn't sweating. After doing so, she spoken up to her friend.

"It was horrible, Tikki...I...I wasn't in this kind of void, and then I saw Hawk Moth, he said that I would never get rid of him. I tried to fight him, even when you weren't there, I tried, but he kept saying a lot of horrible stuff...then Adrien was in it and he hit me, saying he wouldn't waste his time with me and...he tr-tried to strangle me...it was so real, Tikki, I...it was just horrible..." Marinette explained, trying not to cry as images of Adrien's face twisting in anger came back to her.

Tikki took hold of her nose and wiped away the tears that started coming down, her eyes soft and kind.

"Marinette, it was just a nightmare. After finding out who Hawk Moth was, him getting killed, you're bound to have nightmares of what could've happened or what might happen. It wasn't real and I know Adrien wouldn't do that to you. It's your fear." she comforted, being as quiet as she could so as not to wake up Thomas and Sabine. She was often use to Marinette worrying about Adrien rejecting her or Hawk Moth winning, so she handled it like any grown up would.

"It got worse though, Tikki...I found my mom and papa dead...and that Joker killed them, like he would've done at the hotel and...he just enjoyed it so much, laughing all the way, talking like it's his favourite thing...he tried to kill me. But seeing mom and papa dead was one of the worst...he butchered them, Tikki, like they were nothing but food he was cutting up..." Marinette explained, sniffling as she remembered the gruesome look of the bodies.

Tikki gasped at this. She had hoped Joker didn't make a lasting impact on Marinette, but after hearing what she just told her, Tikki could understand why this nightmare was a lot worse for Marinette.

"That's not good...after being bound to him I've found it hard to even feel joyful. All that insanity, the deaths he caused, I could feel it. It was so toxic...I can see why you'd be having nightmares of him. We should've asked that Bruce Wayne how he copes in fighting those horrible souls like Joker." Tikki noted after thinking over what to say to Marinette, who nodded with a sigh.

"Yeah, we should've. Or Wonder Woman, because she must've seen her share of horrors...I just thought the sooner we'd get back home, the quicker we could relax a bit more easily but...I'm really not sure. Everything is just so quiet and lifeless in Paris now..." Marinette said sadly as she remembered the last few days of being back home was like entering a whole new world, a city full of fear, something Paris should never be full of.

"After all that happened, Marinette, it'll take time before Paris is back to the way it was." Tikki reminded softly, sitting in her hands again. Running a finger over Tikki's head, Marinette nodded.

"Yeah...it always will...I just hope I'm ready for what else will be coming..." she said more to herself than to Tikki, who frowned.

"What do you mean?" she asked, feeling Ladybug and Chat Noir wouldn't be doing much since Hawk Moth was dead.

"The last thing I saw in my nightmare, Tikki, it was...it was weird but just so frightening. The whole Earth was on fire, I was in space, and then I was getting shot by these two laser beams coming from the Earth...you don't think I'm having a glimpse into the future, do you?" Marinette asked worriedly after describing the hellish scene to Tikki, who looked unsure for a bit.

"I'm not sure, Marinette. We're part of a larger world of heroes and villains, and given you've met some of them, you are probably thinking of the possibility of fighting some of them." Tikki said, giving her own answer to the other part of the nightmare. Marinette blew out a bit of air in grimness as something came to her.

"It couldn't have been Superman that did that then, destroying the world and killing me with those laser beams of his. He was so nice when he spoke to me and Adrien...I don't know, Tikki, ever since what happened, I've just been feeling so tense, like I can't even relax now that I'm back home. Always looking around for the slightest thing that's not right and...I don't wanna feel like that, I just want to feel more easy." Marinette replied, pushing her eyelids around a bit. Tikki smoothed Marinette's hand gently with a lighter look in her eyes .

"Take this from someone who's been alive since the beginning of everything. You'll get there in the end, Marinette. These dreams and nightmares are normal after everything you've seen. You need to focus on what you have right now; your mom and papa are safe, you're back at school, you've got more superheroes to turn to for help, and you've got Adrien. He loves you and you helped him get through the last few weeks. That's what is important." she said softly, her voice full of wisdom yet always so squeaky.

Marinette smiled and took Tikki up in her hands "You always know the right things to say, yeah?"

"I'm speaking from experience Marinette." Tikki replied modestly, "I've been through many things in my life and with many different owners, especially Queen Hippolyta."

"Yeah, I still couldn't believe it when you and Wonder Woman turned out to know each other." Marinette giggled, "But thinking back to the nightmare...do you think that it might've been brought on by my stint as Madame Beetle when Adrien used Hawk Moth's Miraculous?" she suggested. She wasn't sure what had made her think that but a part of her reckoned the presence of Hawk Moth could be because of that.

"What do you mean? Do you think it's something like "because you was transformed by an akuma", the very thing Hawk Moth used to create his minions?" Tikki asked, "I don't know if that'd be the case since Adrien was using an akuma for good. Why would it give you nightmares if it wasn't corrupted or evil like when Hawk Moth uses them?"

"I dunno, I'm just...thinking out loud." Marinette sighed, "Overall, I just hope I never get a nightmare like that again..." she muttered, lying back in her pillow.

"I'm sure you'll be fine and you've got nothing to worry about Marinette, but if you have any concerns, you could always bring it up to Master Fu." the little kwami suggested, "He might know what to do about it."

Marinette thought about this. Seeing Master Fu did seem like a good idea at this point. While the nightmares could just be a result of her hellish encounter with The Joker and his near success in razing the entire world, she did still have concerns and wanted to make sure the nightmares wouldn't come back. Maybe tomorrow, she could see him first thing after school. For the time being, though, it was time to go back to sleep, as it was only two in the morning. She shuffled her head back into her pillow as Tikki took to the air. Marinette gave her a smile as she closed her eyes.

"Goodnight, Tikki. I'm glad we talked." she said pleasantly, getting a bright look from Tikki.

"Me too, Marinette, sleep as well as you can." she replied as she flew back to the little house the other side of the room.

Marinette smiled as she relaxed herself and let her mind carry her off into sleep, trying not to think of the horrible nightmares and think of all the good she had brought about. With a sigh of pleasure, Marinette went back to sleep.

* * *

Yet as Paris slept away, it did not know that underneath its streets, great evil was at work again. Something far worse than Hawk Moth, Riddler, and Joker.

A homeless man, who looked only young enough to be in his late twenties despite the rough beard he grew, found himself waking up to seeing nothing but an endless field of darkness. Gasping in fright, he tried to move forward, but first found a sharp pain running from his head, making his body throb in agony, reminding him that he gotten a brutal hit from a thick weapon of sorts. Secondly, to his horror with his eyes going wide, he found his body was being held back by something rather metallic, his arms bound to his sides and his neck held down by a clamp. It wasn't tight but he couldn't move his head much. And all this did made his heart beat faster, as he looked through the endless stretch of black, wondering where he was.

"Wh-Where am I? Please, I'm just a mere homeless man, I did nothing! Please!" He called out, his voice filled with fear and dread, his body already running with sweat along with rivers of blood trailing down from his wound, making the pain even more thick for him.

That was when a low laugh filled the air, stopping his heart for a second. It sounded so hollow yet loud enough to reach his ears. The man then noticed a red glow of sorts from his right, turning that way to see a tall figure of sorts standing far over there. From what he could see, the silhouetted figure was tall, yet curvy with big hips and a long line of hair on the left side of her body. What made his heart tight more was that whatever form of light she was holding gave way to her face, which seemed thin and smooth, yet long eyelashes stretched from eyelids that held two red eyes that looked at him with frightening interest, while her lips parted to show a smile of sorts.

"You call yourself homeless? That means that you are of no importance? Oh you don't know how much that what you have is just so right for why you are here, and why I have you" she somewhat said soothingly, her voice filled with a seductive tone, yet this did not fill the man with any warmth, only making him shake more as he tried to take in what she said.

"What? What do you mean?" he asked, his voice just dripping in fear.

The smile of the woman only gotten a little bigger.

"For how little you value yourself. And with that, you don't value life that much, do you?" she asked, yet she sounded as if she knew the answer already.

And even before the man could ask her anything else, he heard a whirling of machinery of sorts from around him. That was when his sight was filled with a sickening view of mechanical syringes, knives, and torch like devices coming down on to him, even right towards his eyes. His heart went faster as his body felt its nerves going off an all sorts

"Please, no, I-I..." he didn't get to finish as the mechanical tools did their gruesome work, only screams of agony and horror echoing throughout the dark, yet the woman smiled more sweetly as she watched on.

"And there's the next one..." she said as she then lowered her light, going off into the darkness as the man screamed louder as the machines did its work on his body.

* * *

The night went on rather quietly for the rest of Paris, morning soon coming with a rather bright sky, yet the warm sunlight did little to bring about a lot of activity in the city, for it was still coming to terms with all that happened a few weeks back. Everyone was almost too scared to leave their homes, and for good reason, often wondering what other villain would be out there to come and attack, to hurt who else they cared for. And some wondering whether they were anymore safe with another Agreste out there, not knowing the full thing about what he knew of his father.

For Adrien Agreste, coming back to Paris was very hard for him. Sitting up in his new, soft bed, he sighed as he looked outside, almost a billion thoughts going through his head as his green eyes tried blink away the tiredness, for he was just thinking all night. He sighed as he looked about his room, taking in the soft scent of candle wax that had been put out in the night, its smell warm and comforting, yet a big reminder that he was not in his home.

"Another day in a new life." he said quietly to himself, yet he soon gotten an answer from a certain cat Kwami.

"Yup. Another day waking up in a smaller room." Plagg said as he came out from behind her curtain near the windowsill, sitting beside Adrien on his bed. His eyes looked at him with deep concern, seeing Adrien avoiding his look.

"Did you sleep well?" he asked, his voice not full of sarcasm.

Adrien only tutted and fell back onto the bed. "No...not really." he said grimly as Plagg then went beside his face. "Its not easy, Plagg, trying to move on. It was nice Bruce Wayne gotten me some help for my powers, even if that John Constantine smoked too much..." he trailed off with a small smirk, but it then vanished as he went on ,"Got no father. My home is gone, all of Paris probably hates me...and taking that lie detector was even more frightening than anything else..." he explained, remembering when Captain Roger took him out of his school a day ago to have him go through a lie detector with Interpol, about what he knew of his father being Hawk Moth. He told them the truth and passed every question, but his shoulders and back still felt as if he was being held down on the ground with little to no freedom.

Plagg patted his ear a bit with a smile, trying to raise his mood.

"Oh c'mon. Look, you have to wear a hood whenever you go out, but no one except Marinette knows you're here, that Bruce Wayne did a lot to make sure you had a new home to go to, and you still get to go to school. Gotta be something to be happy about, right?" he suggested, only getting a small shrug from Adrien.

"I'd have been happy if the guy I was living with told me earlier about my dad being Hawk Moth." he said grimly as he looked to the window again, taking in the bright sky.

Plagg looked at him a little more seriously.

"Look, dude, I have to be blunt, but you've gotta focus on the positives. You can't keep feeling restrained by your dad's reputation. Your Adrien Agreste, the Chat Noir of Paris, nice guy, and most of all, you've got your girlfriend. That's something you oughta be happy about, right?"

The blonde teen considered his Kwami's words for a moment. Yes, he supposed he was right. Why feel so down about his father's reputation as Hawk Moth when he still had so much in his life to be glad about it? He still had school, and this time WITHOUT restrictions from his "father" so he didn't have to worry about him forbidding him to go there anymore. No doubt his friends would be happy to see him again. And Marinette...could he be luckier to have a girl like her? His beloved Ladybug turned out to be the clumsy baker girl he had considered a friend at school and it didn't mean anything to him. He was honestly glad that of all the people he knew, Ladybug had turned out to be her. And unlike Hawk Moth, he knew full well that Marinette was a wonderful person and nothing at all like his evil father. So as grim as it seemed, at least he had so much to be thankful for. It would've been even more disheartening if he'd lost everything in his life, school and Marinette included. Adrien patted Plagg softly on the head.

"You never cease to amaze me buddy." the teen hero said graciously, "You may seem like a lazy, laidback kinda guy, yet you know just to what say."

"Aw come on, I maybe eat a lot but I still have a good head on my shoulders!" Plagg retorted, "Besides, I'm just looking out for you Adrien. It's a Kwami's duty to make their masters happy."

"And there's no doubt that you know how to put a smile on my face." Adrien admitted, "I think I can happily say I'm thankful I still have you with me Plagg." he added kindly.

"See, now you're focusing on the positives!" Plagg snickered teasingly, "I knew you could do it buddy!"

"Alright wise guy, don't push it." Adrien retorted, smirking humorously at his feline-esque Kwami, "I sure hope I get to see Marinette tomorrow. A part of me...really wants her by my side right now, you know what I mean?"

"I get ya, pal. She was the first one there for you after we all found out who Hawk Moth was, and she's been there for you throughout all this." Plagg pointed out, getting a nod from Adrien.

"Not just that...she's a good person. I've always wanted to be around her more because she's just...got this thing about her that you just know you can be normal around her, and she knows the right thing to say...I mean, if Ladybug never existed, or...gave up on her earlier, I think I'd have fallen for Marinette a lot quicker" Adrien explained with a warm look in his eyes, getting a smirk from Plagg.

"Here we go, lover boy is daydreaming again, thinking of his girlfriend." he said with a teasing voice, getting a small smooth from Adrien's finger.

"Hey, just expressing how I feel...I mean, my stay at Wayne Manor was great because I was with her. Her laughter, how nerdy she could be, how much she stands up for everyone, I could listen to her talking about her fashion designs forever...If I never gave her that umbrella that day, I don't think she'd have been my friend earlier. She's just so nice and understanding." Adrien sighed happily, looking up to the ceiling as he thought of Marinette.

"Yup. Lovers can never stay too far away, I can tell ya." Plagg noted a lot more genuinely as he sat on Adrien's chest, getting a smile off of him.

"You're actually happy for me, aren't you?" he asked with a lot of interest, getting a shrug from the Kwami.

"Look, kid, you've been looking for the one you love long enough. I'm just glad she can kick butt and talk sass, because I think you need a bit of that in your life. And admit it, you always liked that about her, didn't you?" he questioned cheekily, getting a nervous giggle out of Adrien.

"I, uh, always rooted for her whenever she looked like she was about to fight, I can tell ya" he said with a blush, already imagining Marinette beating up a few bullies.

"You can tell her that when you get to school, just make sure you're alone or it'll be school gossip." Plagg noted, sitting by the clock as it read the time was twenty minutes past seven. That told Adrien it was time to get up and get ready for school, and it was enough to make him feel more excited about seeing Marinette. Just seeing her would be enough to make his day a lot better and help him get through it.

"You think I should ask her if I can come over?" He asked Plagg as he gotten into his new clothes, which were a lot comfier than his more visually rich clothes.

He was now wearing a grey zip up hoodie, a black t-shirt, darker blue jeans, and differently designed orange shoes. Not too different from his old clothes, but not the same brands or designs.

"You oughta just go on and do it. Her mom and papa are fine with you, and you are her boyfriend. You're welcome enough to go around there." Plagg offered his advice, getting a pleased index finger waving at him.

"Yeah, just go on and ask. I can be myself around Marinette, so yeah, just ask." he said more to himself as he grabbed his bag and filled it with the usual stuff that was needed for school.

"Don't ya miss those old clothes of yours?" Plagg asked as he flew beside Adrien as they went towards the door. Adrien's face sunk a little as that was brought up.

"Look, Constantine made me realise it was the right thing to do. Why wear something that Gabriel made me wear just to help boost his facade around Paris and promote his company?" he said as he opened the door and went down the stairs, taking him to the rather neat cream walls and red cupboards and wallpaper, with Chinese decorations all around the place.

"Just asking." Plagg assured as Adrien went through the fridge, getting the lunchbox he prepared himself.

It was a bit of a weird result with the bread looking out of place where he cut them up. Still, he had it all done for him back when he was a rich kid, so it was best to forgive him for what it gotten like.

"Sorry, I'd rather just leave it all in that bin I burnt them in. I'm not the rich kid anymore, Plagg, and just as you said, this hoodie is good for me to hide in the public." Adrien said as he put the lunchbox in his bag.

"You will have to show your face in the public someday, Adrien." said a soft old voice from behind, making him stop and stand stiffly.

A rush of anger came through Adrien, but he instead breathed out the tension through his mouth, trying to ease his body as he turned around to see the voice was that of Master Fu's, standing there in his red Hawaian shirt and tan trousers, with Wayzz and Nooroo frosting beside him. The same old man who he helped when he ran away from home. The same old man who had given him the Chat Noir Miraculous...the one who was looking after him right now.

"You shouldn't be afraid. They'll realise the truth soon, Adrien, and you won't have to hide in that hoodie of yours." Nooroo said kindly as he flew towards Adrien, who gave the Kwami a small smile, ignoring Master Fu.

"I appreciate it, Nooroo. Hopefully you're right." he replied as he gave him a smooth on his head, having taken good care of the Kwami during their stay at Wayne Manor, doing his best to treat him with a lot of kindness after everything Gabriel did to him.

Master Fu went over to Adrien and patted his shoulder, though this made him flinch a little, looking at Master Fu with a lot of doubt in his eyes.

"Your friends will understand everything, Adrien. You just have to talk to them and express how you are feeling." he suggested, only for Adrien to walk away from him with his eyes closed, a feeling of hurt running through him.

"Look...I appreciate you looking after me, and that Bruce Wayne told you all that happened, but...I can't even look at you. You knew..." he said with a lot of anger rising in his voice, yet Master Fu didn't move the slightest, as if he knew Adrien would be like this, or that he had seen all sorts of emotional people in his years.

"If you chose me as Chat Noir, you should've known what you were getting me into...I mean, you knew my fa...Gabriel was Hawk Moth. What was I? A chess piece in the grand scheme of things? A tool to bring Gabriel down?" he asked with a sharp glare, his green eyes full of hurt and disgust, the feeling of positivity going away as he brought this all up. For it was true, that Master Fu had known of who exactly had the Butterfly Miraculous and he didn't even get hold of Adrien to tell him what he knew.

Master Fu's often wise and bright face sunk a little too, guilt running through him. Adrien had a point, as he should've known how much turmoil Adrien would be put through given Gabriel was Hawk Moth, yet he only contacted Marinette...but he couldn't agree with what Adrien also said.

"Adrien, you were never a chess piece. I know you might see it that way, but I knew of how much you desired to be part of the rest of life, and Chat Noir was that extra boost for you, and with that passion and desire, I...just felt you would be better." he tried to explain, only for Adrien to look down, his eyes still full of anger.

He wanted to shout, throw his fists around, to make it clear what he wanted from Master Fu...but a quick look to seeing Nooroo looking nervous about everything going on made that heat of anger wash out from him. Relaxing his muscles, Adrien sighed as he went to the door.

"I...I can't forgive you...not until you admit you could've done better. Not until you tell me everything you know." he said sadly, not liking all this negative feeling he had for the old man. He might've had his reasons, but he shouldn't be behaving in such a way that seemed like it was all normal.

Master Fu went forward but stopped when Adrien opened the door.

"I'll be here a little later. I'll be seeing Marinette after school, so just know that, okay?" he said hurriedly as he and Plagg left, closing the door behind them. F

or a moment, Master Fu stood where he was before looking down at his feet, sighing as he let Adrien's words sink in. Wayzz and Nooroo floated in front of him.

"Don't feel down about this, master, he'll come around" Wayzz assured softly, yet Nooroo looked unsure.

"I don't know, Wayzz. After everything that happened, I don't think Adrien will be coming around quickly...but I think you should take his word and admit your flaws." Nooroo then passed his own advice to Master Fu, who nodded.

"You are right, Nooroo...I thought Bruce Wayne sending him here would be enough to give Adrien some content, but...for being alive for so long, I should remember it's not that simple anymore." he said sadly as he turned to his living room, sitting in his chair as he took hold of the Miraculous Book, having kept hold of it since Marinette gave it to him.

"But when, master? I can't really stand the sour mood whenever you're both in the same room." Nooroo said, as it all seemed too similar to the dark intensity of whenever Gabriel would hurt him into akumstising people.

"I will, Nooroo, but there is a lot I have to explain to him, not just about his father...but about his mother, and that is something I'm not sure he's going to take very well." Master Fu said as he looked out to the window, already thinking over the talk he will be having with Adrien. Wayzz nodded.

"I think we should have a gathering for that talk, with those that can help keep him calm. Like Marinette" he suggested, yet he only gotten a sharp look from Master Fu.

"I'm not sure if Marinette will be enough for that. There has to be others that can help..." he said as he turned a page detailing about the Fox Miraculous holder and the Turtle Miraculous holder.

* * *

It was always strange what time could do to a person. To think it hadn't been that long since Adrien had been riding in his car on the way to school with his bodyguard, the Gorilla, at the wheel like normal, waiting for those precious hours of mingling with the crowd and getting to be a normal person for once instead of a pampered rich kid like he was at home. And yet those days now seemed so far away. Not that Adrien wanted to remember those days since the memories had turned sour thanks to the revelation behind Hawk Moth's identity. Now here he was, walking to school, not riding, and doing his best to remain hidden in the public eye as he pulled the hood as far over his face as it would go. He also walked with his head low to make it even harder to see his face. The disguise seemed to work for nobody noticed him or seemed to recognize him. He was invisible, just another boy in the crowd to mingle with the commoners to anyone walking by. Perfect! Just what the blonde teen wanted!

His walk to school had been uneventful, which is what else he had wanted. He didn't want any trouble or to get caught up in any after all. But Adrien had noticed that all around him, his father's image was being scorned, jeered and abused as he saw a man with dark skin and a bad rash throwing away a bunch of magazines that had Gabriel Agreste on the covers. Fashion magazines that were no longer of any interest to anyone, he knew that much. He didn't disagree with the man's decision, feeling that he would've done the same. Marinette had done as such the moment she had returned to Paris, throwing away everything to do with Gabriel as if simply taking out the rubbish. She had even told him so afterwards.

"I got rid of all your dad's fashion magazines, posters, and any designs I drew based on his own." she had told him over the phone, "I still can't believe I ever looked up to him! I admired him so and it turns out that he's a crazy super-villain who wants our Miraculouses for his own nefarious needs?!"

"Yeah, I don't blame you for doing so." Adrien had replied, "It's like when you look up to a famous movie star or singer and they turn out to be a jerk...or worse..." he muttered, "It just hits you like a kick to the face doesn't it?"

"I feel worse than a kick to the face in this case." Marinette muttered, "More like a stab in the heart. No doubt the same as you..."

Adrien wasn't sure if Gabriel being Hawk Moth had felt like that. A stab in the heart still seemed like an expression not adequate enough to sum up his grief and horror at discovering the truth. As Adrien walked on, he could faintly hear a couple of people talking to one another. They weren't talking particularly loud, but they weren't talking quietly either so he could just about hear what they were saying. He quickened his pace once he did, not liking what they had said:

"This recent news is an outrage! The famed Gabriel Agreste was really a supervillain and the one responsible for all these Akuma attacks?! I'm never gonna buy another suit of his again!"

"I'm not buying ANYTHING with his filthy name on! Not even underwear! And I certainly don't want any children wearing the clothes his son models for him! I bet his son's just as bad as he is!"

"Gabriel's a supervillain, so maybe his son is too! I sure hope I get my hands on him so I can make him feel sorry for all the grief his father has caused!"

It was just as he'd feared. Some people were still stupid enough to believe that because his father was evil, he must be evil too. Adrien felt relieved when he could no longer hear their voices as he walked further away. If he had stayed any longer, he might've felt the urge to punch one of them.

"Has it never occurred to these people to never judge children by who their parents are?" he growled angrily to himself, "Just because my dad was evil, it doesn't mean I am too!"

He was able to push those thoughts out of his head as he turned a corner and saw the familiar sight of the Françoise Dupont High School. He'd be able to settle in and just have a normal day at school with friends and have to worry about getting his answers right than what the public thought about him. Normal worries that a boy his age should have to deal with. And it looked as if this day was going to get even better for as he approached the school, Adrien heard someone coming and a familiar voice calling to him.

"Adrien! Good morning! It's great to see you here!"

His heart was washed out of any sourness he felt earlier, for his face beamed bright when he turned to see who it was. There she was, pigtails neatly done, and her purse still at her side and her eyes as full of life as always. Marinette Dupain-Cheng, his girlfriend, the one person he loved more than anyone. He didn't see Ladybug at all whenever he saw her. He saw the same kind, brave girl that always made his school days better. And she sure made the last few weeks enough for him to get through.

The young couple happily embraced each other, holding tightly close as if they had been apart for eternity. Taking in the soft scent of her hair, Adrien warmed from head to toe in happiness, holding his love so close to him as if the world was about to end. For Marinette, it was great to finally get some time with her boyfriend instead of just talking to him over the phone, taking in his strong body close to her smaller one was something she could only dream of. And with it now bring reality, she could give him her warming love, like any girlfriend or boyfriend would do with her touch and words. She listened closely to his heartbeat, taking in how it was beating so normally, telling her he was okay. This wasn't the Adrien from her nightmare. This was the real Adrien, the one who fought by her side everyday and risked so much to protect her.

Gently pulling apart, they both stared into the forest and oceans of their eyes, reminding themselves of who they still had, and what they had gotten in the end. Each other.

They kissed softly, Marinette standing on her tiptoes to reach up to him. She honestly didn't mind, and neither did he. They kissed closely as they took hold of each other's hands, wrapping their fingers around each other, their kiss sending sparks of joy running through them. For what seemed like an eternity, they parted, opening their eyes to see small, pleased smiles coming off each other, with Marinette smoothing his cheek ever so gently.

"It's great to see you." she said softly, her cheeks turning red as she took in the moment, with Adrien wrapping his arms around her back to hold her closer, his eyelids drooping dreamily as they took in her beautiful face.

"You don't know how long I've been waiting to have some time with you, Marinette." he said quietly, his voice just enough for her to take in.

Marinette was delighted to hear that. Adrien had been keen to see her again! And to think she had seriously doubted in the past that he'd ever love her! So much for what the nightmare had been telling her.

"I've been waiting to have some time with you too." the blue-haired girl said brightly, "It feels like we've barely had any chance to see each other since the whole thing in Gotham. We should totally meet up after school and just have the night to ourselves!" she exclaimed, enthusiasm evident in her voice.

"I'd love that beautiful." Adrien said with a smile, "I honestly think the two of us having a moment together is just what we need."

"Me too." Marinette agreed, "You know, I wonder what our friends will think to your new clothes?" she added, glancing at Adrien's more casual attire he now sported, "I mean, they look great on you, don't get me wrong, but it's not...you know? Your usual style? Um, if you know what I mean?" she added sheepishly, hoping her words hadn't accidentally come out as an insult.

"I know, it's gonna be unusual for them to see me looking more casual." Adrien sighed, shrugging, "They'll probably understand why though. They probably know about my dad too and will understand that I don't wanna associate myself with him anymore. I just hope...that none of them start thinking I'm a villain too." he muttered grimly.

"You? A villain? No way! Why would anyone think that malarkey?" Marinette exclaimed.

"Because my dad was one. I've heard people assuming I'm just as bad as he was, and on the way here no less!" the blonde teen explained, "I still remember when Roger made me take that lie detector test! It felt like I was under arrest, even though I hadn't done anything! I know it came out all true and all but it seems it's gonna take a while before anyone starts trusting me again..."

Marinette's face fell, feeling nothing but sympathy to her boyfriend. Wasn't it enough that his dad turned out to be a supervillain that now the world felt the need to punish him some more by making him publically hated too?! Why did life seem so keen to make him suffer all of a sudden? She decided that she'd show life that she wasn't going to let it punish Adrien and make him miserable any longer. She took hold of his hands and gazed into his eyes with a tender look in her own.

"You know I trust you." she insisted.

"I do, and that's why I was so keen to see you again." Adrien replied, his voice soft and gracious. It was quite clear to the bluenette that he was happy to be with her now.

The two were about to kiss again but they quickly realized that they were still standing outside the school and were going to be late if they stood out here any longer. At the very least, they'd have all the time in the world later on when school was over. They separated, but stayed by each other's sides as they headed towards the school.

"Better not be late again or Mr. Damocles will be mad." Marinette snickered teasingly.

"I'd rather have his owl-like face scowling at me than what we had in Gotham." Adrien replied lightly, taking hold of her hand as they went towards the entrance, with Adrien lowering his hood when they went through the doors.

Inside the sports pitch that was in the middle of the school, Marinette and Adrien felt the eyes of the other students fall onto them, shock and curiosity filling them, taking interest in Adrien's change of clothes, some even laughing at him, whispering among each other, probably about how poor he must've looked and how he deserved it. Some of the students were filled with distrust while others were filled with jealousy, eyeing the holding hands of Marinette and Adrien, finding it hard to believe he actually chosen her, while some thought she was an utter idiot for dating him now, seeing that he was not even worth to be with.

Adrien didn't care what they thought of him, though. The people he had to earn the trust of was those in his and Marinette's class, for they were his friends, the ones that knew him. He couldn't help but feel his chest tighten as they went in through the door. As soon as they went in, Adrien found it hard to even look at them once they all looked to see who came in. There they were, everyone of his friends who his father hurt. Those who he helped and became friends with, through himself and as Chat Noir. Everyone was there, all looking at him with open mouths and eyes in shock, taking in his new outfit. Everyone...but Chloe, her absence marked by an empty seat next to Sabrina, who looked away with an unsure look as his eyes looked over to it.

A gentle squeeze of his hand from Marinette told him not to feel guilty, for she saw his look and could only feel something similar. She could only wish she had pulled her phone away from her at the last second...

"Well, you gonna take a seat next to me or what?" came Nino's voice, being the first to speak up of them all.

Adrien almost jumped and both he and Marinette took in how he looked. He was up from his seat, his eyes were full of sympathy, and his arms were open, almost as if he were wanting a hug from the blonde teen, who frowned at him.

"Are...you sure? I mean, I don't think- "

"Now now, don't give me any of that, man! You think I'm gonna act like you don't exist!? Get here, man!"

Marinette couldn't help but smile as she stepped back and allowed Nino to envelope Adrien into a warm hug, greatly stunning Adrien for a moment as he let his arms hang by his sides. Marinette beamed as she saw the warmth run through Adrien as he hugged his best friend. She knew of all the people that would believe him, Nino would be one of them.

"Gee...th-thank you Nino. I honestly don't know what to say..." Adrien said sheepishly, embracing his best friend back. He was so touched to see that Nino didn't have any ill-feelings towards him that he almost wanted to cry. He even thought that he felt a tear trickle down his face for a minute.

"What, did you think I was suddenly gonna hate you because your dad turned out to be Hawk Moth?" Nino scoffed, the whole idea that Adrien would even tease such a thought sounding ridiculous to him, "Why would I do that dude? We know you're nothing like him!"

"Too right." agreed his girlfriend and Marinette's best friend, Alya Césaire, "We're not like those people who think that if the parents are bad, the kids must be! We know the real you Adrien and we know you're nothing like Hawk Moth." she finished, winking at the green-eyed teen.

Adrien couldn't help but smile, feeling as if he'd been hit by a wave of joy. Welcomed by his friends and hearing them acknowledge he wasn't the bad guy just because his father was, this was just the kind of day he was hoping to have to wash away the grimness and despair of the past events that had transpired. Coming here had been the best decision he had made since returning to Paris.

"Thanks everyone. I really needed that." the blonde boy said graciously.

"No kidding." Alix agreed, "I bet you were getting a lot of crap about how you must be "evil" just because your dad was."

"Like you wouldn't believe. It's why I came dressed like this, so I can hide from public view and not be noticed." Adrien explained.

"I'd say the clothes suit you dude, even if they look...less expensive." Nino said.

"So, um, how's Sabrina been since...you know...what happened to Chloe?" Marinette asked, choosing her words carefully in case she accidentally triggered something in her friends.

Her encounter with Batman and his enemies had ended with the rich, spoilt brat dead when the Riddler had rigger a phone to explode and it just happened to be hers that had the bomb. She, Adrien and everybody in the class had been forced to witness the sickening moment where the phone exploded and tore Chloe's head off. She had heard recently that her father, Mayor Andre Bougeios, had taken a leave of absence to try and recover from the shock and grief of his daughter's passing. Marinette had found it a strange experience overall.

On the one hand, she had no love for Chloe whatsoever due to being bullied by her for four years straight and had thought that, in a way, she had asked for it. She had been stupid enough to ignore Batman and it had cost her her life. On the other hand, Marinette had NEVER wanted Chloe dead, no matter how horrible she had been. She was not the kind of person to wish death on anyone, no matter who they were, and had thought even Chloe didn't deserve such a gruesome fate. And she hated to admit it, but she would've preferred it if Chloe was still here now. School was going to seem strange without her and all Chloe's absence did was brutally remind her on what an ugly stain Batman's rogues had left on the lives of everybody in the room.

She noticed Sabrina looking away with a tense look on her face. Her posture was rigid, as if determined not to make herself comfortable. She also seemed to shudder slightly. It was clear that she hadn't recovered from the shock of Chloe's death yet. Would she ever recover? Marinette hoped so, but she felt that it would be a long time yet before that happened.

"Poor girl's still waking up crying in the night." Juleka explained solemnly, "She opened up to us the other day and expressed just how much it still makes her feel sick just thinking about it. Chloe may have been a bully and a stuck-up brat...but we can't deny her death was quite horrifying. Even I find myself cringing whenever I think back to that day..." she muttered, screwing her eyes shut in disgust.

"I think we all can agree on that, Juleka." Marinette said sadly, remembering that gruesome moment as Ladybug, "I wasn't there, but I can only imagine how it went. I mean...we've never seen anything like that before, so it's understandable why we're all...tense." she explained, patting the arms of her and Rose, remembering how Rose had fainted when Chloe was killed.

The sweet hearted girl had a distant look in her eyes, still remembering that horrible moment. Ivan had been cuddling Mylene as this was all going on, trying to ease any pain of the memories she was getting from that night. The kids had really been affected big time by the whole thing and you could only think of what it took to get through such a thing.

Lila stepped up and walked over to Marinette and Adrien, her eyes low and sad.

"I'm just glad I didn't lose the rest of you guys. I mean, I thought I'd be alone after that whole lying thing I did, but then thanks to Marinette I gotten actual friends out of you guys. I'd hate to lose more of you. I'm glad you two weren't there" Lila said with a hint of gladness, not knowing the truth of the whole situation, getting Marinette and Adrien to share a sad glance over this.

Alya then raised an eyebrow as she looked at them both.

"Yeah, where were you guys? You didn't get abducted, and the last we saw of you, you were both running off to the hotel when Joker came." she reminded.

Now even more interested eyes focussed on the two with thoughtful looks. Marinette smiled shyly while Adrien rubbed his cheek in a similar way. They had expected a question like this and thus, had been preparing themselves the perfect answer to give.

"Well, yeah. Joker would've hurt my mom and papa and...I just could go stand back, I had to go and see them...then Ladybug, Chat Noir and Batman got there and that was when the big fight started" she explained to their gathered friends.

"Yeah. I went after Marinette and I didn't want her to go on until it was safe. We bumped into that Bruce Wayne, and he took us to the hotel he was staying in to keep us safe. Me and Marinette gotten emotional over the whole thing because we saw it on TV...and by that I mean the whole thing, hearing how Chloe died, the fight at my home, Gabriel being revealed as Hawkmoth...it all gotten a bit much, but I was glad Marinette was with me. If she wasn't, I'd...I'd have honestly beaten myself to a pulp...I mean, you guys nearly getting killed, Gabriel being behind all our misery...I don't think I'd have gotten through it." Adrien added, looking at the floor with tears coming down his face. He quickly wiped them away as his words sunk into everyone, who couldn't believe they were seeing Adrien crying. He didn't really cry, given he was so upbeat, but that was even more than enough for them to see how hard he had taken it.

Marinette looked stunned at something he mentioned though. He felt like...beating himself up? Hurting himself? And he never told her this? Then again, he would've been filled with a lot of thoughts and feelings over all that had happened with Gabriel. From what Nino told her, and what Adrien opened up to her over the weeks, Gabriel certainly sounded like one of the most neglectful of people she ever heard of. Marinette even wondered if he only ever had Adrien was just to get a free employee model to keep his fashion going, because it sounded like he treated Adrien more like a tool than a person.

Adrien then smiled at Marinette and took hold of her hand, his warmth going together with hers as they stared longingly for a moment, and Alya noticed, with her eyes wide in a mixture of emotions.

"Um, am I seeing what I think I'm seeing? The love stare?" she asked, drawing everyone's focus to Marinette and Adrien's moment.

"Come on Alya, don't make a big deal about it." Marinette replied sheepishly.

"It's OK Marinette, I think it's OK to let them know now." Adrien said softly, "May as well give them something to be happy about. You're absolutely right Alya, you're seeing what you think you're seeing." he announced, not just to Alya, but the whole class, "Me and Marinette are in love. We just recently became a couple."

"And we couldn't be happier!" the blue-haired teen cried excitedly.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa! You mean you two...are officially...a thing now?!" Alya cried, gaping, "Like, really?! Marinette was lucky she could form more than two sentences in front of you and you're seriously telling me that you're officially a couple now?"

"No joke." the two teens replied in unison.

They both blushed at this and stood closer as Mylene beamed at them, feeling happy for her friend, who did help her and Ivan get together, so it was only right she felt happy for her.

"How though? I mean...you're always pretty shy, Marinette, how did you go through with it?" she asked with interest, getting a raised eyebrow from Nathanael.

"Yeah, how?" he asked a little more sharply, a pang of jealousy in him as he asked them.

Marinette and Adrien both looked a bit shy and glanced at each other.

"Uh, do you want me to or...?" Adrien asked but gotten a reassuring look from Marinette.

"I think I can manage." she said confidently as she spoke up to everyone, "Well, I just had to be myself. No more stuttering, no more running away, just be myself. I mean, I couldn't do all that after what happened to you guys, and...for once I could take in everything about Adrien. I mean, I always liked him because he was nice but I was...scared he'd hate me because I was just an ordinary girl." she said shyly, looking away from his eyes as they were filled with shock. Adrien smoothed her hand with a smile.

"There's nothing wrong with being ordinary, Marinette. I can tell you that." he assured, causing Rose's eyes to widen in awe as she took it in.

"Oh this is so wonderful! Keep on going, please!" she begged, getting a few giggles out of everyone.

Marinette went on, "And...the more time I spent with Adrien, not just over the last few weeks, but those other times with the gaming tournament, when my great uncle visited, I saw more to him. More than a nice guy. He's funny, smart, and I uh...didn't think he was a sweet lover." she giggled, making him blush as remembered when he had a taste of her parent's croissants.

"Yeah, and honestly, I was glad to have those times with Marinette too. Didn't take her to be a gamer, so that helped me settle around her a bit. She's got quite a bit of sass to her and that...drew me in a lot more, I'll be honest," Adrien added as he remembered those times he met Marinette when he was Chat Noir, remembering how sarcastic and cheeky she could be, "But she's nice...brave, and she always knows what's right for everyone else. That drawn me to her a bit more but it was these last weeks where I just realised...she was the one who I loved. I just wished I was brave enough to have spent more time with her." he told everyone, leaving Marinette in a blushing mess as she remembered those times they had.

Everyone took this in with a lot of happiness lightening up their faces. Even Nathanael and Lila, as they both knew they took too far in a step with Marinette and Adrien, and they could see they were best for each other.

Nino looped an arm around Adrien as he grinned.

"Dude, do you know how long we've been waiting for this!? It's like wrapping up a story arc or something!" He said, getting everyone to stand up and walk over to them.

"Yeah, I mean, we've all been wondering when you'd speak up, Marinette. About time." Kim said with a smirk.

Marinette and Adrien smirked teasingly in response. So like Kim to make cheeky remarks, but with no malicious intent as usual. It really did feel good to be back at school to be mingling with their friends and getting to forget their troubles for the time being. And the fact they were all happy to see them again, and also happy to see them officially as a couple, just made this day even better! Just as Marinette and Adrien were about to reply, the door to their classroom opened and in walked the science and maths teacher, Ms. Mendeleiev. She hadn't changed a bit since the teen superheroes had last seen her, looking as odd as ever with her purple hair, pointy chin and thick-rimmed spectacles. The white coat she wore seemed oddly appropriate for somebody who taught science. As usual, she wasn't smiling. In Marinette's eyes, she doubted Ms. Mendeleiev was even capable of smiling. The purple-haired woman sat behind her desk and addressed the class, her tone sharp and to-the-point as usual.

"Good morning class." she said, not sounding particularly happy saying those words.

"Good morning Ms. Mendeleiev!" every voice in the room replied back.

"No doubt you're all aware that we have a student missing in this class." the teacher added, motioning over to the empty chair next to Sabrina, "Chloe Bourgeois' death was...most tragic indeed. I personally blame that awful Batman character for bringing his enemies to our city but we're not here to discuss that. Everybody get out your maths books and turn to a blank page so that you may write down today's multiplication sums. And I want EVERYONE to look busy!"

The class obeyed and got out their books to begin their maths lesson of the day. Marinette forced herself to look away from Ms. Mendeleiev, otherwise if she stared at her any longer, she might've picked up the obvious scowl she had on her face. How dare that woman blame Batman for Chloe's death?! He had come to Paris BECAUSE one of his enemies had run away to the city! He hadn't bought the Riddler with him! It was true that The Joker had come because of Batman, but that wasn't his fault! A part of her wanted to transform into Ladybug so she could lecture the woman on how horrible it is to blame people's deaths on superheroes instead of the ones who actually did it. But she resisted the urge and turned to a blank page in her book. At least the maths sums for the day would keep her mind occupied and let her forget her worries until the end of the day.

But what she and Adrien both didn't realize was that their superhero lives would soon catch up to them. Marinette's nightmare had ended with her being blasted by red beams. To anyone else, it wouldn't mean anything. But to a member of the Justice League, it was a sign that something worse than The Joker or Hawk Moth was coming. A sign...that darkness was coming...

* * *

 _ **As you can see, it's not been easy for Marinette and Adrien to return to their normal lives after the events of "Miraculous Knight". But they still have each other at least. ^^ However, things won't stay quiet for long. Who is the mysterious woman kidnapping homeless people? Does Marinette's nightmare mean anything? And if so...what?**_

 _ **All the answers await for you in the next chapters so keep on reading and me and my co-writer, Reece Wooldridge, hope you enjoy! :D**_


	3. Chapter 2: Helping the World

_Chapter 2: Helping the World_

Far from the quiet streets of Paris, there was a rundown village surrounded by exotic jungles and the ground caked in deep mud. The sun shone brighter here in Africa, truly bringing to life just how unique of a world it was of its own, especially the animals and the strong sense of peace the country radiated. Yet this village, while small, was not in the best of conditions, with several of its people laying down and in utter agony from diseases that couldn't be treated that well in the open or were crying in starvation. Others were standing to the side, looking to the sky for any sign of hope, their thin bodies trying not to stop and do their bit, trying to find the cleanest of waters...yet it was hard to find anything healthy out here. Their clothes were rough and torn, and their faces were sullen with misery and sadness, all of them wondering if anything would get better for them. Even a young baby held in the arms of his thin mother had a fearful look in his eyes over what he would see next and when he would have a better way of living.

For long, this village thought it was abandoned and forgotten by the rest of the world, just for the occasional tourists passing through looking for animals. The atmosphere was thick with misery and not even the sun brought any joy to these people. That and the Bialyan border not too far away meant that they also always lived in fear, of whether a Bialyan tank would destroy their village or that their queen would come to the village and take their children, or tell them to do things that they would just end up doing. And this had them all clenched in a tight grip, and they weren't strong enough to move forward, and didn't have the needs to build a new village. They were stuck, with no means of getting moving to another place in Africa.

But it wasn't long until this day that a spark of hope came, brighter than ever. As the sound of truck engines gained the attention of the boy near the entrance of the village, eyeing a few trucks coming down the dirt road. He frowned and tried to get a clearer look, nervous at who it could be. Tourists? Military gangs? Or...something else?

His answer came when he could see the six trucks getting closer and took notice of the letters, W.H.O., on the sides of them. The boy felt his heart stop for a bit as it then occurred to him that had seen such a name before. It was spoken a lot about this name throughout Africa, and it filled him with a bit of hope. And he was right to feel this way, as the trucks soon came through the village entrance, with the people inside giving him a kind smile and a wave, offering him a good amount of care with those looks. The trucks came to a stop, making the villagers look up with a bit of nervousness in their eyes, thinking over what they would want.

Opening the door, the occupant in the other side of the first truck stepped into the open, knee high brown boots stepping onto the mud rather normally, showing she was getting in on this already and wasn't bothered about getting her clothes dirty. Dressed in a white shirt, brownish pants, and her hair tied in a long ponytail, the woman looked at the villagers with a wash of warmth coming over her heart. She knew these people didn't deserve to live in such conditions, and it didn't make her feel happy that the world had forgotten these people, especially living near a place like Bialya. She was told once that fighting wasn't always the best way to bring peace to the world and help the people, as people suffering in life deserved love, understanding, care and comfort, plus all the help they could get. And she was going to help them in any way she could.

Stepping through the village, her eyes were filled with love and sadness as she looked at the state the people were in. It made her sigh bitterly.

"No one should live like this, even in the world today..." she said quietly, just as the village adults approached her, a thin old man with a fearful look in his eyes.

The woman gave him a smile and held out her hand, ready to shake his own.

"You must be the leader of the village. I am Diana Prince, and I'm here to help." she said kindly, her voice soothing and carrying the Mediterranean with her. The old man only looked more nervous as he pointed at the trucks behind Diana as several other workers gotten out.

"Are...bad?" he asked worriedly. Living in a place like the jungle, these people didn't know much English, but did their best to communicate.

Diana shook her hand and gently took hold of his arm, smiling away at him.

"No. we have come to help." she assured, getting another finger wavering at the trucks with the man turning his face up slightly, a hint of happiness coming over him.

"Help? You...help?" he asked, his voice almost getting past a note as he sounded more hopeful. Diana nodded.

"Yes. The World Health Organisation is here to help you get better. After we've tended to your people, we will look to find a new home for you." she explained, this time getting a brighter look from the man.

"Move us? You...move us?" he asked with more joy coming from him.

"Yes, we will do what we can to help you. Now show me to the ones that are in poor health, we need to treat them quickly." Diana said, now sounding more urgent so they could get the sick tended to.

"Sick? This way, here." the old man told her, taking her hand to show her were those that were struggling to continue to live were staying.

Diana had to admit, with the way how they managed to organize themselves despite the state of the village, she was pleased to see how they were trying to cope. She was glad these people didn't have to wait any longer.

"We have the sick over here, we'll need to set up a medical bag of sorts here, you think you can do that?" she asked a few of the workers that had came with her, all of them carrying equipment.

"Yes, Miss Prince, we can do that." one of them said, already getting to work on putting up the makeshift medical bay.

Smiling at this, Diana then headed out of the small building and made her way to the people that weren't unhealthy but were still in a lot of need of help. She called a few other workers from the truck, one of them passing her a bag of sorts. It was filled to the top and looked hard to carry, but Diana handled it easily, smiling as she came to the villagers.

"In these bags we've got you some clothes and better bedding. They'll do you good before we can get you moving. Take them out carefully and we'll put up some mats on the ground for you. Tents will be put up too, give you more shelter if it's to rain." she explained to them as they quickly opened the bags.

Diana took in the moment their faces were filled with joy and they gently touched the clothes, taking in the softness of them and how neat they were. The clothes were all donated from ordinary people for this and Diana was glad to see these people were taking it all in with a lot of happiness. Already she could see the world brightening up for them. She could only hope she could help the rest of the world.

Yet as she went on to helping the workers delivering the supplies that was needed for these villagers, Diana could not see a pair of binoculars staring hotly at and the trucks...

As the day went on, Diana had helped put up a few large tents that stretched from one end of the clearing to the other. During her time there, she had spoken to some of the villagers, kindly talking to them about what they would like to do once they had moved them to another part of Africa. One of them, a girl, made her beam happily as she explained to Diana what she would like.

"I'd like to go to the big city and learn about English, and look into charities. And I'd like to meet a superhero and ask them if they could help too." the girl said in her own language, getting a nod from Diana.

"Sounds quite big, but you can always give it a go. I can see to it you can get good benefit from the city" she offered, speaking in the girl's own language.

The girl giggled shyly and looked at Diana with pleading eyes.

"You would? You'd do that, Miss Prince?" she asked.

Diana couldn't help but remember the eyes of Marinette when she first revealed her true self to her, seeing something similar in the girl in front of her. Both looked eager to make a big step in the world and do what was right. And Diana would help them in a good way. Not as far as training Marinette Amazon fighting skills, but give this girl the best for when she goes out into the city. She could see a lot of goodness in her and that she was a smart girl. Perhaps she could give her a bit of guidance.

"You know, let me go get my booklet, I've got a lot of details in there to help you should you go through with it." Diana warmly told her, standing up from where she was and caught the pleased look of the girl's face.

"Thank you, Miss Prince." she said happily, the warmth in her voice clear as anything.

Diana went back to one of the trucks and went into the front compartment, where a small booklet was sitting among other leaflets and papers she had kept hold of during her travels. The international news radio was playing on the radio as Diana went through her booklet, speaking all sorts of what was going on in the world.

"And China continues to deny it has a secret metahuman group working for its government. In other news, Interpol and the French police have officially revealed that Adrien Agreste had nothing to do with his father's activities as Hawk Moth, having gone through a lie detector test on him after he returned to Paris..." the news broadcaster said, getting Diana's attention.

Her heartbeat slowed as she thought of Marinette and her boyfriend, Adrien. She only just realized they recently went back to Paris after their stay at Wayne Manor. Diana had a lot of fun training Marinette whenever her parents weren't around and loved just how silly she was during the first few days, but she had sure gotten a lot better, and she did good in teaching her what other powers to make as Ladybug. It only made Diana hopeful that she would be able to fight anything else in her way. That and she was wowed by her bakery skills. She had never tasted since a lovely jam cake since the day she had first come into Man's World.

"Hope you're doing good, Ladybug..." Diana said softly as she stared at the radio, hoping that she would introduce her to her mother when she could, for she could give Marinette the best advice as Ladybug to her.

That was when a whizzing sound in the air pulled her away from the radio. Her eyes narrowing, Diana looked up out of the truck to see in the sky there was an object of sorts flying over the village. It was high and quiet to those that had no super senses, but Diana could hear it alright. And she could see just what it was. It was a drone, its camera eyeing them all as if it was picking who to target. And the bee symbol on the drone only told her enough just who it was that was controlling the drone...

A click from behind made her stiffen and her arms were tense as she felt something being pressed into her back.

"Turn around, don't do anything funny" spoke a thick voice.

Something told Diana to just kick the gun out of his hands and knock him unconscious...but the bullets could just end up hitting someone else, and she didn't know how many others there were, so she did just as she was told. Turning around, she came face to face with a man in a yellow grey uniform with a thick green armoured jacket on over it, yet wore shorts and ordinary looking trainers. This was to tell Diana he wasn't well equipped and that he was part of some military gang that often hidden in the jungle. His assault rifle was being pointed right at her, but not an ounce of fear ran through Diana as she stared at him, her hands by her head.

"What do you want?" she asked quietly, yet a hint of anger in her as she could already guess what it was he was going to tell her.

"This, all yours. It'll make a good profit for us when we make a transfer." he told her as he picked up one of the boxes that had all the medical needs the villagers were being given.

It was then the sound of another truck was heard, making Diana look to see it was one of this man's. That was when a shred of fear went through her as gunfire went off, being shot into the air, followed by angry calls of the military gang on board the truck, and cries of fear filling her ears of those she was trying to help. Stepping back a little, Diana looked over to see the military gang were heavily armed and were already making it clear they had the upper hand, ramming one of the workers in the face with his gun to knock him unconscious. Diana could only watch on with utter disgust as she saw the men shove even the sick out of the way, their guns closely kept on them as they grabbed the medical boxes and even started going through the worker's trucks. Diana then saw the young girl she was talking to, a gun pointed at her head as the man grabbed her by her top.

Her eyes narrowing, Diana looked at the man opposite her as he smirked.

"This will do us good. You workers are so idiotic!" he taunted as he took his right hand away from the trigger to put it in his pack.

That was when Diana attacked, shooting her arm out and grabbed the barrel of the gun. The man gasped in shock and went to shoot her, only to watch on with wide eyes as Diana bent the barrel upwards like it was rubber, before slamming it into his face and kicking him in the knee hard enough to knock his leg out of place. Before he could let out a cry of agony, she clamped her hand over his mouth and shoved him into the side of the van. Groaning, the man hit the ground with a quiet thud. Diana crouched low and looked to see just how many others there were. She could see the driver of the truck had gotten out and was going through one of the food boxes, laughing as he passed a scone to one of the military gang's members. But this was enough for Diana to get her first target.

Pulling her arms up into a cross of sorts, Diana closed her eyes.

"Need to be quick..." she quietly told herself as she slammed her arms together.

A bright flash of yellow shone from where she was, shocking everyone in the village. They could only watch on in numbness as something then took to the sky and plowed through the drone, making it explode from where it was in the sky. Then in a microsecond, the figure shot downwards and stamped her feet onto the bonnet of the truck, making its back half flip in the air. The figure caught it and went on to throw it down the dirt road, where it exploded upon hitting the ground. The military gang could only watch on with their hearts almost stopping as the figure stepped forward, her face full of disgust as she took out her lasso. It was Wonder Woman, and that meant...

"Son of a bitch!" cried one of the military men, "It's her!"

"Wonder Woman?!" yelped another man, "Just our luck that she decided to show up!"

The people of the village could only stare in amazement at the angelic figure that stood before the military men, fists clenched, lasso in hand and her stance poised as if ready to spring into action with the slightest excuse. Wonder Woman looked as majestic and graceful as ever with her trademark red and gold body armour, blue armoured skirt with stars decoed around it, red and white armoured boots and golden tiara with red star in the centre. Her trademark silver bracelets glistened in the sunlight. Despite her beauty, Wonder Woman had an expression that made her look fierce and determined. Even the military men had to admit that she looked terrifying, but they didn't dare show any fear in front of her.

"You men trespass on these poor grounds to pillage whatever you can take, regardless of its purpose! These people are sick and starving and yet you put your own needs above their own!" Wonder Woman scolded, her voice firm and serious, "I'm giving you one chance to just walk away and let this charitable organization go about its business. If you don't...then I'll have to get violent. And none of you will want to see that from me..."

She hated having to give such vile threats, but Wonder Woman preferred it when her opponents just surrendered peacefully instead of causing needless bloodshed. It was then the gunman that had hold of the girl clicked his gun, aiming it at the girl he had hold of, getting Wonder Woman's attention, making her eyes widen slightly at the sight she was taking in. The gunman had a bit of fear in his eyes but was trying to hide it with the usual tough talk one uses to sound brave.

"You let us leave with the supplies, or I'll plant a bullet in her brain!" he demanded aggressively.

Wonder Woman stood still and stern for a moment, not taking her eyes off the gunman or the girl. She looked so frightened, her eyes were tight shut and tears were coming from her eyelids. There was no way Wonder Woman was going to let this girl's hopes and dreams end right now, but she couldn't let the whole gang escape with the medical treatment. All she had to do now was wait for one of them to make a sudden move, and then she could get to work. And her hand was just laying next to her lasso to get ready...

They all eyed her intensely, waiting for her next move. The gunman holding the girl began to shake, not liking how Wonder Woman was looking at him. It was as if she was staring into his soul, questioning everything he was doing. And he didn't like it, as he felt less powerful even though he had the gun. He decided to prove his point when he idiotically pointed the gun at Wonder Woman's direction.

"I will-" he ended up gasping as he lost hold of his gun, which was enveloped by a golden lasso, that had been outstretched by Wonder Woman in just a second.

Swiftly following on that move, the Amazon princess whacked it on his head like a whip, knocking him unconscious and freeing the girl. Wonder Woman followed this up with a similar attack on a few other nearby gunmen, before flinging the gun out from the lasso and sent it flying into the face of the gunmen that had hold of one of the workers, his nose exploding with blood as he fell to the ground.

That was when the air was whizzing with bullets, with the aid workers and villagers diving to the ground to avoid getting hit. The gunmen fired away at Wonder Woman, trying to hit her with everything they had, but they could only watch on in utter shock as she deflected the bullets with fast moving arms, the bullets bouncing harmlessly off of her bracelets, not even leaving a dent on them.

Her eyes taking in the number of gunmen left, Wonder Woman swiftly took action. At the speed of the bullets themselves, she zipped across the ground towards the closest military gunman, kicking him in the gut hard enough to send him flying into the man behind him, both of them slamming into the tree nearby. Wonder Woman then ran towards the next gunman, grabbing his gun in just a split second and swung it upwards into his chin, knocking a few teeth out of the man's mouth, sending him dropping to the ground like a rock, before pulling out her lasso again and swinging it into one of the last gunmen, wrapping him tightly in it. Then she drew him forward and tossed him into the last gunman, the pair of them ending up in a heap, partially buried by the mud due to the impact of hitting the ground.

Pulling her lasso to her side, Wonder Woman breathed quietly as she took in the situation now. All of the gunmen were now disarmed, laying in a beaten state and now crawling weakly due to the bruises they received. A quick look to the villagers and the workers, Wonder Woman took notice that one of the villagers was clutching her arm with blood trailing from a wound in it.

Her heart beating fast, Wonder Woman ran over and gently took hold of her hand, pulling it away to take a look at the wound. She fought off a gurgling feeling in her stomach as she saw there was a bullet hole right through the woman's arm, the flesh and blood torn and dripping like a waterfall. Wonder Woman looked at the injured woman with a sympathetic look in her eyes, taking in the state of her body, seeing it was thin and lacked any strength. Wonder Woman could only hope that the woman had enough strength to pull through against the wound.

"See to this woman now, make sure the wound doesn't get infected, and call in the local hospital and military!" the Amazon ordered one of the workers with a stern tone, soon seeing the worker getting to it. Standing up, Wonder Woman tightened her grip around her lasso as she saw the gunmen all trying to stay conscious as they crawled all over the place.

Shortly, she had them all tied up around a tree with help from the W.H.O workers, using thick rope to hold them there. Wonder Woman stood before the gunman that was still awake, her eyes now soft but her figure strong as she put her lasso around him, tightening it to get a good grip on him for what she was about to do. He looked up at her with a confused look, not sure what she was doing. The lasso then started glowing and that was when she began.

"Who sent you here? Why do they want the medical supplies?" Wonder Woman asked sternly, not a single ounce of kindness in her voice. The man tried to keep his mouth shut, even struggling against the rope and lasso, but his body shivered and his eyes went wide as his teeth felt as if they were being pushed open.

"We...were sent by the Queen Bee of Bialya...she desires to study the medical supplies...weaponize them to poison the villagers out in Africa by shipping it to spies in the World Health Organisation." he explained, trying to stop himself from talking but lost against the lasso.

Wonder Woman's grip tightened at this, her skin shivering in disgust at the mention of Queen Bee. She battled her enough times to know just how rotten she was, how she could brainwash people by simply talking to them. The weapons she had were powerful enough to pose a destructive threat to the whole of Africa and Europe. It sickened her enough to know what she did to Beast Boy's mother, but this was another low for her.

"Did she give you the weapons you have?" Wonder Woman asked again, trying to stop her emotions from getting the better of her. The man struggled again but he spoke reluctantly, forced to do so by the lasso's power.

"Yes...we intended to use these weapons for our own means...women, children, drugs...land to conquer!" he explained, his eyes going wide as he tried to stop himself from talking.

"Are there any more of you nearby?" the Amazon asked, feeling tempted to put an end to the whole threat.

"Yes...west of the road we took to get here, across the river, down into a hill. A small complex, two tanks, up to thirty five men." the man informed her.

"Thank you. You've been very cooperative." Wonder Woman sneered, pleased to have all the information she required.

Now the man was no longer needed to talk, the Amazon released him from the lasso and handed him over to two W.H.O. workers.

"Tie him up with the others." she ordered, "And continue to hand out those supplies to the villagers. I'm going to put an end to this before anymore civilians end up getting senselessly hurt."

"Where are you going Wonder Woman?" asked one of the workers.

"The man I was talking to give away the location of more men." the Amazon explained, "I'm going there now to make sure they don't come traipsing around here where they're not wanted."

"Are you sure that'll be wise Wondy?" the worker questioned, his face full of concern, "I have no doubts about your skills and your ability to handle several men at once, make no mistake about that, but won't attacking those men just provoke Queen Bee and we'll end up with an even bigger attack from that crazy bitch?"

"We already have provoked her." Wonder Woman muttered, nodding over to the men tied to the tree, "We've well and truly kicked the hornet's nest. It's up to me now that said hornets don't sting us back."

"So you think you can scare them into leaving this village alone? Is that it?"

"I think you know the answer to that."

With nothing left to say, Wonder Woman held her arms up high and took to the skies, flying through the air just as gracefully and as majestically as the famed Man of Steel himself always did when he was in flight. The W.H.O. worker watched her leave, his eyes devoid of any wonder or amazement for he was used to seeing superheroes in flight. But the girl that Diana had been talking to earlier had never seen anything like this, so she had the amazement in her eyes the W.H.O. worker lacked. He watched the warrior woman fly off into the sky, getting smaller and smaller as she disappeared in the vast blue void above.

"Wow...that's amazing..." she blurted in her own Afrikaans language. The sight of Wonder Woman flying was quite possibly the most amazing thing she'd ever seen.

* * *

From where she took to the sky, the ground below was now like that of a map to Wonder Woman, who looked to see where the man had told her of the location of his fellow gunmen gang. Her blue eyes trailed from the sight of the village she just took off from and looked down to the road, the smoke from the truck now a small cloud of grey from where she was.

"Okay, from the west of the road, across the river, down into a hill..." Wonder Woman told herself as her eyes went to the west of the road it turned to and soon found the river.

She flew through the air to keep track of where the river was flowing. By the mention of the hill and it was going down, she guessed they were going south. Following the river closely and lowering her place in the air, Wonder Woman looked on to see to the right was a hill of sorts. Taking to the ground, she readied her lasso in case of anymore of the gunmen, keeping low as she neared the hill. From what she was guessing, the other side would take her to the complex the gunman spoke of.

Crawling up the hill, Wonder Woman thought carefully to herself over what she'd have to do. If there were tanks, she'd have to take them out first. Then she'd have to disarm as much of the gunmen as she could and make sure the hostages would be safe. Wonder Woman also had to make sure no one would be killed, not even those she was going up against, as the world wasn't what it use to be back in the days of the First World War.

Coming to the top, Wonder Woman's eyes narrowed as they took in what they were seeing. There was indeed a complex of sorts, like two rectangular blocks laid opposite each other, with a garage housing one tank while there was another tank near the entrance. On the rooftops of the complex were a few heavy machine guns that could easily shred any human being. It'd do damage to her if they got a direct hit on her, for her healing abilities weren't that fast, so they'd have to be taken out first, then the tanks. The rest were a larger number of gunmen, some talking to themselves by another truck they had. Looking at the tanks, Wonder Woman saw the designs were similar to that of Bialyan tanks, obviously given a green makeover and the Bialyan logo taken off of them.

That was when she thought over everything to herself again to make sure she hadn't missed anything.

"Okay, gunmen on the rooftops with machine guns, hostages probably inside, two tanks, one truck, and thirty five men...okay, it's going to have to go differently." the Amazon told herself. This situation would have to start quiet but end loud.

Zipping to the air, Wonder Woman flew in a circular route around the hill, coming to the back of the complex, going down fast to reach the rooftop of the first complex. Two gunmen were on the rooftops, so this was easy enough for Wonder Woman.

Standing fully up, Wonder Woman shot across the rooftop and shortly slammed her fist into the first gunman and sent a few of his teeth flying out. She quickly grabbed the other gunman and slammed his head against the one she already had, knocking them both unconscious. She then leapt over to the other rooftop and shot her foot into the back of the first gunman and sent him flying into the other one. Before they could make a sound, Wonder Woman grabbed them both and shoved them hard onto the ground, taking them down too.

With the men on the rooftops seen to, Wonder Woman looked over into the back of the complex ground and saw five other gunmen standing around talking amongst themselves. Quickly taking action, Wonder Woman jumped down in front of them and threw her lasso out to the closest one, spun him around and smacked him right into the other two. The last two men gasped and went to shoot, but didn't react fast enough as Wonder Woman leapt at them both and punched them in the face, sending them to the floor like a huge block of LEGO sets.

Wonder Woman then wrapped her lasso around the only one that was conscious, giving him a stern look as she talked to him.

"The women and children inside. Are they in both of them or just one of them?" she asked quietly, her voice holding back a lot of anger. The gunman spoke before he could even struggle.

"Just one, this one. The other complex has the rest of our weapons." he told her, shortly whacking his head against the ground over what he just said. Her eyebrows raising in pleasure at this, Wonder Woman freed him from her lasso, knowing he wasn't going anywhere.

"Thank you." she said as she walked towards the door that would certainly take her to the hostages. She didn't relax herself, though, knowing there could be more gunmen inside.

Gently opening the door, Wonder Woman found herself in a small room of sorts that stored used tech. Opposite her was another door that would most likely take her to the hostages. Pressing her ear against the door, she listened out for any sound in the room. There was certainly voices of women talking amongst themselves, and children sniffling out of fear after they gotten a beating from the gunmen holding them captive. Opening the door slightly, her eyes took in the gut wrenching sight of many women, all of whom were young and old, and their children, chained to the walls by their necks and wrists, all of them thin and bruised. Utter disgust ran through Diana's blood at this, taking notice of how the two gunmen inside were just looking at them with nothing but a smirk, as if enjoying what they were putting them through.

Seeing there was only two gunmen inside, this just meant Wonder Woman could make sure the hostages would be safe a lot quicker. Clenching one hand into a fist, Wonder Woman threw the door open, leading to a huge amount of gasps of those that saw her snatch one of the men's machine guns from his hands and kicked him hard in the stomach, sending him right into the gunman behind him. However, while the man she kicked was now clutching his stomach in agony, the other one gotten back to his feet and pulled out his knife, utter anger in his eyes as he ran at Wonder Woman, aiming for her face. The Amazon, however, took hold of his attacking arm and twisted it hard, the man's forearm popping out of place. Just as he was about to scream, he was silenced when she drove her elbow into his face, knocking him unconscious, before heading over to the one she kicked and punched him right in the face, knocking him out too. She couldn't have them both awake and risk them calling out to the rest of the men outside.

"So far so good..." Wonder Woman murmured under her breath, grateful that this rescue mission was going so well. With any luck, it would continue to go well and she'd achieve her objective with everybody alive.

The hostages were staring at the warrior princess with awe on their faces. Who was this woman and had she come for them? Some of the women began thinking that this armour-clad, raven-haired warrior they were staring at was some sort of guardian angel sent to protect them from up above. As far as they were concerned, this woman really was one. Their eyes all gleamed with delight as Wonder Woman approached them and grabbed a hold of the chains linking them to the walls. Before she did anything, she put a finger to her lips with a stern look on her face.

"Please, whatever you do, don't make any noise. I don't want anyone outside to hear you." Wonder Woman insisted, talking quietly to the hostages in Afrikaans so she wouldn't be overheard, "I don't want those men out there to come in and start shooting. Do you understand?"

All the women and children nodded. Satisfied with their response, the Amazon saw to their freedom as she effortlessly tore the chains out of the wall and broke the shackles around their necks and wrists. Now the hostages were all freed and they were so thrilled to be free from their chains that they almost broke into celebration. But Wonder Woman quickly shushed them, gesticulating with their hands to remind them to be quiet.

"Now I need you all to stay inside." she explained, "I'm going to deal with those men outside and their tanks. Once they're all done with, I'll get you all home. Please do NOT leave this building until it's safe. Will you do that for me?"

Nobody dared to defy their captor's orders. They all replied with a quiet chorus of "Yes's" to ensure her they understood what she said. With the hostages freed, Wonder Woman could now finish this whole operation and bring this evil compound down to its knees. Despite feeling confident that this mission would be a success, the princess knew that it wasn't over yet and she couldn't let her guard down. Things could still go wrong and disaster could strike, even at this stage. She would remain vigilant and be careful not to make any mistakes at this delicate stage. Wonder Woman left the building, closing the door softly behind her, and sneaked back outside to deal with the remaining men and the tanks. She would start with the tanks, knowing full well that things would be catastrophic if any of the men were able to get into them.

She quickly pulled up the five gunmen she had beaten and left them piled up in the corner unconscious, making sure they were out of sight from any other guards that could be coming by. Taking notice of the other building's doors and how the building connected to the garage that held the tank, Wonder Woman quietly made her way over and sneaked inside the doors. Inside, she found a huge stash of weapons that clearly came from Bialya, taking note of the energy containment glass put on the guns, along with high tech night vision goggles and armour that was slimmed down to fit the psychical side of the person it was worn by.

"Looks like Steve will be handing them to the weapons experts when he finds out about it." Wonder Woman told herself, thinking of her boyfriend over what he was doing. He certainly would get worried over what was happening right now, and part of Diana wished he was with her right now. She just felt having him around boosted her confidence in things being alright in the end.

She had to think back to the task as she opened the door nearby and found a large corridor connecting to the garage, where the tank was sitting just at the other end with a few gunmen resting on and talking to each other. Wonder Woman shook her head in disgust before taking sight of the tank's canon. Stepping back a bit and clenching her fists, Wonder Woman sighed as she knew it was all about to get loud.

"Here we go".

Tearing through the corridor, Wonder Woman leapt right through the corridor and rocketed towards the tank, the men on the tank gasping in fright as she shot past them and tore off the canon. Planting her feet on the tank, Wonder Woman caught hold of the torn piece of metal and shoved it into the body of the tank, doing it so hard it went right through, sticking it to the ground and rendering it useless.

The men outside were finally aware of her because of this and after a moment of watching her in shock, they raised all of their guns and fired away at her. Moving fast before the bullets could even touch her, Wonder Woman waved her arms in front of her to deflect the bullets and jumped off the tank, grabbing a nearby chair and tossing it towards the closest gunmen, sending him flat on his back. One of the men from inside the garage came at her with a blade, but she whirled herself in the air sideways and kicked him in the face, sending him right into the tank's side.

Wonder Woman then took to the air and shot downwards with a fist aimed for it. Pounding her fist down at such speed, a shockwave sent the nearest of gunmen flying onto their backs from the huge forceful wave, making the rest of the gunmen hold fire as dust clouds blinded them.

Just as Wonder Woman stood up, a pair of headlights caught her attention, and then she found herself getting hit head on by what she could only figure was the truck. Grunting in frustration, Wonder Woman dug her hands into the bonnet and shoved her knee upwards to lift it in the air, just seeing the driver's shocked face.

Glaring at him, Wonder Woman shook him out as if she was emptying a bag of toys, sending him tumbling out. She gasped as bullets then fired away at her legs, bouncing off but stinging hard. Thankful for the armour being constructed by the gods themselves, Wonder Woman put the truck on its side to give herself cover. Pulling out her lasso, the Amazon leapt over the truck and slam kicked one of the gunmen, sending him tumbling across the place. Following this, she shot her lasso out and caught hold of one of the gunmen's weapons, snatching it out his hands and whacking it on a few of his fellow gunmen, knocking them right onto the ground. Then she shot across the ground and elbowed one of them in the gut and sent her foot upwards into one of the other's groins, a huge crunch and a high pitch gasp sending echoes across the battlefield. Getting their legs, she tossed them into nearby other gunmen, already dropping their numbers quickly as the gunfire began to lessen.

One of the men managed to hit her on her head with his gun, but his weapon just crunched up upon hitting her. Wonder Woman elbowed him in the gut and dropped to the ground as the rest of the men tried to dogpile on her. Sending her legs out, she swiped them out from where she was, sending them onto the ground in a beaten heap.

An angry battle cry from behind made her turn to see more men from the garage came at her with guns and blades. Wonder Woman readied herself to fight them, but another sound nearby was heard, and the air changed as it felt like it was getting torn open. Turning around in time, Diana gasped a small a blast from the tank came at her. She drew her arms up and was hit by the blast at full power, sending her flying right through the truck behind her and sent tumbling across the ground, a loud explosion ringing out from the truck as it was turned to flames. The men standing near it were cut down by the shrapnel from the truck, dead as soon as they were hit.

Her hair a mess, covered in dirt, and her ears throbbing slightly, the Amazon picked herself up, finding strength in her legs a little uneasy. Finding herself first in a cloud of dirt, Wonder Woman was drawn to the big fiery flame of what was left of the truck. Going towards it, Wonder Woman found just what the power of Bialya could do and how it could work against her and those she was friends to.

She then found the bodies of the men hit by the shrapnel, her heart almost freezing as she saw the gory state of their bodies and the blood they were drenched in. Just for a moment she thought she was back in No Man's Land, remembering all the remains of those that had died trying to reach the other side. A sight like this brought back a dark memory for Diana and it was difficult for her to fight off. She only hoped Marinette wouldn't witness anymore gruesome violence after what she went through a few weeks ago.

This just told her how willing these men's allies were in getting them killed to get what they wanted. Even if given the chance right now, Wonder Woman didn't desire to kill them, just to tie them up and have them be arrested for what they did.

Her blue eyes turning to the tank opposite her a few feet away, Wonder Woman clenched her fists and walked towards it, seeing the rest of the gunmen she beaten down were either unconscious or too scared to move. The tank itself seemed to back up a little, scared by the fact the Amazon was coming at it. It was like watching a mouse scare off an elephant.

"Nobody else dies tonight. Even if you are men working for Queen Bee..." the Amazon declared, raising her fists as she prepared to take down the huge, metallic beast in front of her.

The men in the tank could hardly believe that this strange, armour-clad woman was daring to approach them. If this was any other woman, they would've thought she was mad. But the fact she was still on her feet despite being hit by their first blast and coming at them told them this was NO ordinary woman. Snapping out of their intimidated state, the tank operator grabbed the joystick and wrenched it forward as if his life depended on it. The tank trundled forwards, its huge treads carrying it effortlessly towards its opponent. The huge gun lowered, aiming straight at Wonder Woman. Keen to finish her, the operator stabbed down on the fire button with his thumb. The tank spat out its single shot, but by the time it had fired, Wonder Woman had already moved. She had taken to the air, leaving the shot to just slam into empty ground and kick up dust, dirt and gravel upon impact. Now airborne, Wonder Woman knew what she had to do next.

The Goddess of Truth aimed both fists forward as she flew straight down towards the front of the tank. The military vehicle aimed its huge gun up at the Amazon but it was much to slow to act. Wonder Woman had slammed straight down into the tank before the operator had even finished taking aim. There was a tremendous sound of steel bending and metal breaking as the warrior princess hit the heavily armoured tank. Its armour was strong enough to withstand most attacks from military forces yet Wonder Woman had penetrated it as if it was merely made of tinfoil. She had come down with such force that the tank briefly leant forward, the back end raising up off the ground and making the operators inside cling onto their seats for dear life. To them, it felt as if a boulder had crashed on top of the tank.

After that onslaught, Wonder Woman wasted no time in springing up onto the gun turret and seizing hold of the large gun barrel. Determined to make sure they wouldn't get to fire another shot with it, the Amazon bent it to one side as if it was just a tree branch and then twisted it around until it was stuck pointing at the sky. With how badly twisted out of shape it was, the gun would never fire again. Terrified, the operators decided to abandon their doomed vehicle and climbed out of the tank. Before they could run away, Wonder Woman spotted them and quickly drew out her lasso. She threw it and ensnared the fleeing men before they could get too far away. She drew them back towards her and glanced down at them with a smirk.

"Evening gentlemen. I will kindly ask you to stay put until the authorities arrive." she crowed.

Not that she was giving them a choice for she just knocked the two men out anyway. Now the tank was dealt with, Wonder Woman set her sights onto the remaining soldiers that were left in the compound. One of the soldiers looked a bit nervous before he threw a grenade at her, but Wonder Woman merely flicked it aside, allowing it to explode harmlessly in the air. In a second, she shot forward and slammed her head into the man's face, knocking him down before driving her foot into the gut of the man behind her, then her arm went forward to latch hold of one man by his vest and tossed him into one of his allies. A bullet breezed past her arm, telling her there was one other man behind him her.

Looking around, she could see there was only six men left, all of them readying their guns and blades. Wonder Woman did have to think just how desperate they were to beat her. To please Queen Bee or claim a win against herself, she didn't know. But there was only six of them left and that was enough for her.

In a blur, she took to the ground and shot her lasso outwards, snaring it around one of the men's legs and flinging him into one of the other men. Two down and another two were sorted when she swung her legs up to their faces and finished the last two with a backflip, grabbing their heads and slamming them on the ground, leaving the men all in an beaten state.

Breathing steadily, Wonder Woman stood up and took in her surroundings. It was quiet, yet filled with the thick smell of smoke from the burning truck. The women and children were safe, the tanks were destroyed, and the weapons would be taken in by the military, hopefully overseen by her good friend Etta Candy.

That was when she took notice of the bodies that were laying all across the compound. All of the men were unconscious...except for those that were killed by the shrapnel, making Wonder Woman cringe as she saw their bodies. If only this had ended with no deaths at all...

Trying hard not to focus on the negative result of the battle, Wonder Woman went back to the first building where all those she had rescued were waiting for her. Taking hold of the door that was hiding them and opening it, Wonder Woman gave the captives a warm smile, letting them take in the brightness of the sunlight. They had all been holding closely to each other, likely scared by the whole battle from outside, but taking sight of Wonder Woman, all of the women and children gasped in shock and joy as they saw their hero had came back, not a slight kind of injury on her, for they wouldn't bear the sight of their hero being battered when trying to rescue them.

Walking towards the mother and child at the front of them all, Wonder Woman gently took hold of her hand and smiled with a lot of kindness.

"There's no need to be scared, now. Be happy and be free." she told them as she led them towards the opening, allowing them all to follow her and stand in the bright sunlight.

Closing her eyes, she smiled as she took in the change of atmosphere, sensing the joy the captives had to stand outside after being shut inside the building for so long with guns aimed at them all the time. They all took hold of her hands, making her open her eyes to see them all coming at her with tears in their eyes, one of the children hugging her.

Wonder Woman could only smile as she smoothed the girl's head and crouched to her height, ushering the other children closer as the mothers all stood around them. Holding the hands of the children, Wonder Woman spoke to them, her voice soft and warm.

"The military will be here soon. I have a few friends with them that can help you find new homes and get you back to your families. Do not be scared of them, they will do their best." she told them with a lot of assurance, her eyes full of confidence and softness.

They all nodded and smiled in gratefulness at this beautiful warrior that had come for them. For all the battle they heard outside, they couldn't see such bruises to damage her lovely figure and her hands being smooth as if she had been gifted with the power of the gentlest touch.

Taking to her feet, Wonder Woman slowly walked away from the freed captives, who all stared and waved thankfully at her. She could only wave back with that ever so kind smile on her face before she turned to go back to the rest of the battleground around the other side, pulling a communicator from her lasso holder. Holding it to her mouth, she spoke with a levelled voice.

"Etta, are you there?" she asked as she glanced around the place.

"Loud and clear, my darling. The military have reached the village. Give me your location and I'll send them right to you." came the chirpy voice of her good friend from the other end of the radio, making Diana beam.

"Glad to hear it, Etta, and from you. And...try not to tell Steve about this. I'll tell him when I see him." she replied, getting a giggle from the woman.

"Oh, Commander Steve ain't gonna get much out of me, but he'll still be flying over there before you know it. I'll keep in touch with you." Etta assured, allowing Diana to think over the image of Steve zipping into a plane to fly over to Africa to see her. He was a lovely guy for being in the army, but goodness he got nervous so much. Then again, he was usually out in the battle with her, so she could understand why. She'd be the same if he was out fighting without her.

"Got it, thank you, Etta." Wonder Woman said as she pulled it away and turned her communicator off, before heading back towards the captives, wanting to give them more comfort before the military would arrive.

* * *

Back in the deep darkness underneath Paris, the constant muffled groans of agony from those that were kidnapped were like a soothing song to the woman sitting in the middle of the floor, her eyes closed and her face focussed. Her grey skin looked very smooth, yet her hair was a mess, half of it shaved at the top, while a huge amount of her hair covered the left side of her face. She wore a greyish blue armoured leotard of sorts with black leg cloths hanging from her sides, front and back. Her arms were wrapped in blue combat cloth with a spiked shoulder pad, and blue boots with gold markings clung to her legs. The Omega symbol was tight onto her stomach, a red round gem sitting inside the horseshoe that took up the shape. She looked attractive but she certainly had no taste for love. She desired the taste of inflicting misery and suffering on others. For she was as strong as a thousand Amazons and threw punches that had the force of thunderstorms. She had battled many in her life, and cities were destroyed by all that she had brought with her. Not even the likes of Superman, Mister Miracle or Big Barda could stop her. Not even all of the Green Lanterns could stop her.

This was Grail. Daughter of one of the most complex and powerful of gods that lived in the universe.

A smile appeared on her face as she opened her eyes, which were a deep red that certainly had the power of demons in them.

"How are you, father?" she asked, her voice sounding like it was grazing against blades that were razor sharp.

A pair of red eyes opened in the darkness, only standing at about five feet tall from the looks of it.

"Still not as good" he replied, his voice sounding like a child mixed with a furnace, "We need more. Something more than just the one Old God." he went on, getting a lowered look from Grail.

"Do you desire to bring the pantheon and the Justice League on top of us, father? How many more do I have to kill before they take notice?" She asked sharply, making a point of her own.

"I am not usually this desperate, Grail, but given what Steppenwolf did to me, I'm being pushed to my limits. Unless you find another source of power that can restore me to my rightful state, I would have you bring Zeus himself here." replied the voice, his teeth clear in the darkness as he spoke. For someone who seemed desperate, he spoke calmly, as if he was just sitting in a park, watching the day go by.

"I understand, father. Just be glad that we have found a good hiding place on Earth that can supply us as much miserable insects as it can for our Parademons." Grail replied, trying to make him see a positive side to their situation.

"Parademons won't be enough for what we are going to do, Grail. Bring me more life energy, or I shall have to do it myself. And that would mean taking you out of the equation." replied the voice as rectangular object appeared next to him, glowing slightly red with stream linings covering it around. It floated over to Grail, who took hold of it gently as she stood up.

"I take it you found someone that might increase your power?" She asked as she put it in her holder by her side.

"Yes. This one is most close to Zeus and is in the north of the planet. Canada, as they call it. He is the messenger of the gods and runs with the whole godforce inside him. Kill him and use the Father Box to store his life energy." the voice told her as he turned away.

"I know, father. Done it before and I'll do it again. I remember the oath on the day you found me," Grail said as she turned around to leave the darkness to the lit up door near her, "For Anti-Life. For you. For Darkseid." she stated as she took hold of a very dark blue cloak with the Omega symbol on it, not looking back to see the red eyes looking at her from the darkness of the underground of Paris.

* * *

 _ **Wonder Woman seems to have things under control for now but soon, she's going to have more than just Bialyan mercenaries working for Queen Bee to deal with. Darkseid's daughter is on Earth and it seems she has some sort of scheme to restore her father. But how did he become a child? Will Grail succeed in restoring him? And how will Ladybug and Cat Noir fit into all this?**_

 _ **Tune in next time where the answers to all your questions may be hiding...**_


	4. Chapter 3: God Hunt

_Chapter 3: God Hunt_

Adrien and Marinette weren't sure how they had managed to make it through the whole school day. And yet here they were, walking out through the doors and heading off home to have their planned evening together. After starting the day with maths, they had gone onto their usual history, science and literacy lessons before the end of the day. History today had been about the Lancastrian period of the infamous Hundred Years War, a brutal part of history documented as having taken place during the Middle Ages. Most interestingly, the lesson had talked about Joan of Arc, the famed maiden who went onto become a French hero who was sent by God himself to led the French to victory. Marinette had been interested in this story, finding it amazing that a single maiden had come close to leading the French to victory. Unbeknownst to the bluenette, Tikki had been listening with interest and was relieved that they hadn't mentioned a particular fact about Joan of Arc that hadn't been documented. She had been quick to tell Marinette why that was when they had found a moment to talk privately between each other at lunch time.

"You probably won't believe me when I tell you this Marinette. But you know Joan of Arc? Well...much like Queen Hippolyta, Joan of Arc was one of my previous owners." Tikki explained.

"At this point, I wouldn't be surprised if you told me one of France's old queens was a Ladybug!" Marinette giggled, "First Wonder Woman's mom, now Joan of Arc! You've been getting around in your 5000 years!"

"True that." the Kwami admitted, "I still wish I could've done something to save Joan from being burnt alive though. It was horrible to see her being executed for being a witch, even though she wasn't! I feel like her death was my fault because of the powers I gave her..."

She looked away sadly as guilt from her previous life as Joan of Arc's kwami came back to haunt her. Despite being alive for so long, she had never truly gotten over the French knight's execution. Marinette patted her head softly to try and comfort her.

"Don't feel that way Tikki. I'm sure Joan wouldn't blame you for what happened to her." the teen girl said reassuringly, "At the very least, you can take pride in knowing you lived on to pass your gifts onto other people throughout history to give them your amazing powers, me being the latest to receive your gift."

Those encouraging words had made Tikki feel a little better. Once lunch had ended, Marinette and Adrien had finished off the day with a simple literacy lesson. They didn't have to do much, only read along to a few verses from Alexandre Dumas's famous story, _The Three Musketeers_ , and answer some questions in relation to what they'd read before the lesson was over and the bell ran to signal the end of the day. Now the two superhero teens were finally out of school and on their way to enjoy their evening together. They had quickly decided that Marinette's house would be where they'd meet up for their get-together. Adrien had thought Master Fu would appreciate an evening to himself instead of having to look after him for the night again.

"So what do you wanna do when we get home Adrien?" Marinette asked, her tone chipper and eager, "Wait, before we decide, I just gotta tell you that you gotta try mom's new cinnamon croissants! It's a new recipe she's trying for the bakery and upon letting me and dad sample them, I think they're gonna be a hot seller! They're SO delicious! You gotta try one with dinner tonight!"

"I'll be sure to Marinette." Adrien said happily, "You know how much I love your family's baking."

"Yeah. Should've let you try some when you first came over. Mom and papa thought I was holding you captive that time!" Marinette giggled shyly as she took in the sight of Adrien in his hood. She had to admit, it actually made him look a lot more handsome, especially with his hair gently sticking out from the top.

Adrien felt his face turn red at the thought, wondering how exactly she would've kept him captive. Given how creative she was with her works, it would've been easy for her to keep him tied up there...

"Heh, well, if they're for free, I'll be scoffing them." he winked at his girlfriend, who tapped his chest with her fingers with a light smirk.

"Better be grateful, or there won't be more." she teased, getting a giggle out of him. Adrien had lost the anger and sadness he had this morning, all of that gone by the very presence of Marinette, and his friends. Goodness if there was an angel among humans, Marinette was one.

"She better have cheese in that bakery. Especially Camembert." a muffled voice from a certain cat Kwami said from Adrien's bag, getting the humans' attention.

"Yes, Plagg, it's a bakery, it has all kinds of cheese in there." Marinette assured with a dry tone, looking at Adrien, "He almost emptied Wayne Manor of it's cheese, is he always that hungry?" she asked with a serious voice, making Adrien smile shyly.

"That's Plagg for ya. Little guy with a big stomach." he noted.

"And a huge mouth!" came Tikki's muffled voice from Marinette's purse, getting a giggle out of the two humans.

The walk wasn't that long and all the while they held hands, both taking in the sight of how quiet Paris was. Marinette had to admit, it was really painful to take in.

"I hope everything goes back to normal soon. I mean, I know it'll be hard, but it'd just be nice if we had some normality." she said to him as they turned a corner towards the bakery. Adrien nodded in agreement.

"Yeah. It was bad enough being hidden away by Gabriel, not seeing how great Paris really is. Now it's like everyone is walking on a floor of rocks." he noted grimly as he saw even the young children were too frightened to go into the park.

"I guess they'll come around eventually." Marinette said lightly, a hint of hope in her voice as she opened the door to her home. Adrien lowered his head more to avoid his face being seen by the customers, not wanting to cause a scene. He didn't want to give Marinette's parents any trouble, given how kind they were towards him during their stay at Wayne Manor.

"Mom, papa, I'm home!" Marinette called as she and Adrien headed towards the counter together. Both Thomas and Sabine looked up and smiled as they took in the sight of their daughter, who returned the look. Just seeing her mother and father both alive and doing what they always do was enough to tell Marinette that they were okay. All day she was worried something might've happened to them, given how real that nightmare of hers was.

"Oh how did my sweetheart do today?" Thomas asked as he gave his daughter a hug, making her blush in embarrassment.

"Papa!" she groaned before returning the hug with a smile, Adrien taking in the sight with a smile as he was again reminded not all families were that badly hurt by everything Hawk Moth, Joker and Riddler did.

"It was mostly normal, everyone was glad to see us." Marinette said quietly as Sabine walked through, giving her a hug.

"Us? Who do you mean?" she asked before she quickly took notice of Adrien, who pulled his hood over his face a bit more, mostly shy and nervous about everyone else in the bakery.

"Oh, I see. Go on, go upstairs, you don't need to keep wearing that in here." she said softly as she ushered Adrien past the counter.

"Thank you, Mrs Dupain-Cheng, I'm very grateful." Adrien said with a smile as he raised his head, now out of view from the others. Marinette stood next to him and took hold of his hand, eyeing her mother and father with a nervous look.

"Is, uh, is it okay Adrien stays for a bit?" she asked pleadingly, only to get a giggle out of her mother.

"He can come over whenever he wants, go on, get up there." Sabine said with a playful look, with Thomas patting Adrien's arm.

"The door is always open for you, Adrien. And try to eat something, I always want to hear other's opinions." he told him, now sounding like he was pleading the former rich boy to give him some honesty on his cooking. Adrien smiled.

"Heh, oh I sure will, Mr Dupain-Cheng." he said just as Marinette took hold of his hand.

"Yup, gotta go, boyfriend and girlfriend stuff now, bye!" Marinette said quickly as she pulled him through towards the stairs, turning a bright red as she heard her parents giggling away. So was Adrien.

"Oh c'mon, I don't mind." he said in all honesty, only to get a light shove from Marinette.

"Nope, parents need to give kids privacy, especially with stuff like this." she squeaked, only to get more of a giggle out of Adrien when they reached the living room upstairs

"Wh-What's so funny?" she asked nervously, almost worried she made an idiot of herself in front of him.

Adrien just smiled as he took his hood off and held her hands, his eyes even more alive than ever, something that Marinette noticed.

"Nothing, it's just great. Just seeing you being you, I just love it! Another taste of normal." he said softly as he gazed into her, taking note of how much she looked like a strawberry with how much she was blushing. Marinette folded her arms and gave him a sharp look.

"A taste? You want a taste of something, Adrien?" She asked in a serious tone, almost freezing him to the floor. Okay, she looked cute now that she was angry, but goodness that voice gotten sharp...

Then he suddenly found himself pulled in by his hoodie and ended up getting kissed by Marinette, making his eyes widen before it sunk in on what she had been doing. His eyes closing and his heart warming up, he put his arms around Marinette and pulled her close to him, letting her hook her arms around his neck as they deepened their kiss.

For just a moment, it was them in their own world, no Ladybug, no Chat Noir, no Joker, no school. Just them. Marinette and Adrien in a warm, fuzzy ball that was filled by the brightest of sunlight's, and the bluebell scent of Marinette's hair. Just them.

They shortly parted and Marinette smiled shyly up at him.

"Well? How was that?" she asked, getting a stutter out of him.

"L-Like roses...does that actually, uh, make sense?" Adrien asked almost dreamily as he looked at her.

Marinette couldn't contain her laughter as she giggled hysterically at her boyfriend's response. Why did Adrien look so cute when he was being all shy?! She had to admit that there as a firm sense of irony in how she was normally the shy one and now Adrien was the one being shy and blushing. She also appreciated him comparing her kiss to roses. That boy sure knew the right thing to say.

"Aww, thanks so much!" Marinette piped.

Adrien just grinned in response. The two teens then sat down on the pink & white chaise lounge together, Adrien appreciating how soft and comfortable it was to sit on. Despite not being rich herself, Marinette's room was no stranger to comfortable furniture. How long had it been since the millionaire boy had last found himself in this very room? Adrien wasn't fully sure, but he did remember how he felt about it the first time he'd ever seen it. He ran his eyes around the attic bedroom, taking in the huge amounts of space, the white computer desk, the pink walls, the thick wooden beams supporting the roof and the bed that sat above the computer desk. He had to admit that Marinette was lucky to have a room like this all to herself. He himself had had a bedroom that was much bigger than it needed to be and had all the stuff a boy could ever want, but this one looked more homely and cosy in his eyes. This was a bedroom for a teenager who just wanted to be like everybody else and he would've much preferred this over his overly elaborate bedroom he had once occupied.

"I remember when I first saw your room, I couldn't believe that this was where you actually sleep at night!" he remarked, "You must love it whenever you get to retreat here every night."

"You bet!" Marinette confirmed, " I always feel like after I've had a busy day at school or saving the day as Ladybug, this is THE place I can come to in order to feel safe and at ease and just wind down from it all. Pity it didn't feel that way last night though..." she murmured aloud, her voice trailing off as she found herself back to last night when her horrific nightmare had occurred.

Adrien quickly noticed the change in his girlfriend's attitude. She had sounded solemn upon saying that last sentence and now her eyes looked far away, full of worry as if something had come over her and she was now feeling troubled. He thought back to earlier today. Despite the fact the two had tried their best to have a perfect day at school with no problems whatsoever, he had noticed Marinette yawning a fair bit as if tried out. He had originally dismissed it as just boredom since he himself had felt bored having to listen to Ms. Mendeleiev give out complicated maths sums and explain long division to the class. but now Marinette had mentioned last night not feeling so safe for her in her room. So had she had a bad night instead? Adrien put a hand on her should delicately, curious to know what was wrong.

"Why did you say that? Did you not sleep well last night?" the blonde boy asked.

"I did. And you're NOT gonna like the reason why." Marinette muttered, "I was hoping I'd forget all about it but the nightmare I had just won't leave my head! It's there in my mind still haunting me!"

"I'm sure it's nothing Marinette. Everyone has nightmares." Adrien said reassuringly, "You'll forget all about it the next day I'm sure."

"Not the kind of nightmare I had." the bluenette girl sighed, "It was quite disturbing and there's one part of it that REALLY makes me shudder whenever I think of it!"

Adrien wasn't sure if he should ask about the nightmare. Marinette clearly looked uncomfortable just thinking about it and prying would just stress her out even more. He couldn't do that to her. But then again, maybe it would be better if he had her tell him so she could let it all out, help her get it off her chest. Wasn't being helpful and listening to a friend's worries part of what makes a good friend? That was what he had learnt.

"I'm sorry if this makes you uneasy but...what was the nightmare about?" Adrien asked, "You don't have to tell me if you don't want to, but I do think you really should. It's not good to keep your worries just bottled up like that."

Marinette sighed softly but she didn't object. She supposed that her love had the right idea. Telling at least somebody about the nightmare would relieve her stress a little and take some weight off her shoulders. And who better to tell it to than the boy she loved more than anybody else?

"OK Adrien, but I'm warning you, it is quite freaky..." she began.

The French teen recapped the entire dream from start to finish, missing out no details and telling it as if she'd only just had the nightmare five seconds ago. Adrien had listened intently, his eyes wide with curiosity as he heard the story. He noticeably cringed when Marinette mentioned Hawk Moth's appearance and how he claimed not to be dead. Marinette then started to tell about Adrien's part in the dream and as she described what he did to her, her voice began cracking as she tried to choke back tears for it was getting really emotional for her to recap that part. Adrien himself leaned back in amazement. His face was a mask of horror and disbelief as he heard what he did to the poor girl in the nightmare.

"I did that to you?! And I said those horrible things too?!" he gasped.

"I know, it was so horrible!" Marinette wailed, her eyes looking like a dam that was about to burst as they welled up, "Your hand around my throat, saying you never loved me, it felt like a fist through my heart! The fact that part of the dream didn't wake me up is what made it even scarier..."

Adrien felt his heart freeze over the sight of Marinette looking ready to burst into tears. Adrien had to admit, he was always scared he might've gotten his father's frightening anger, and looking back he could see he did have quite a rage that would match his father's, particularly after that whole event with his friends being kidnapped and his father being Hawk oth brought out quite an anger Adrien didn't think he had.

Seeing Marinette looking like as if it had all happened deeply hurt him, but he couldn't blame her. Nightmares often gotten like that, but he knew how to make it better.

"I wouldn't even think of doing that to you, Marinette. You know that, right?" he told her, his voice full of honesty as he spoke.

Marinette closed her eyes to fight off the tears. She wasn't going to look like a sad state in front of Adrien, she had to be serious about this, not get all sobbing in front of him. She smiled as she took his kind words to heart, for that was the Adrien Marinette knew. Opening her eyes, she gently held his hands in return.

"I know. You are here now, and that's enough to tell me what I saw was just a nightmare. Can only hope the same thing for the rest of it..." she trailed off as she explained the rest of the nightmare.

Adrien listened on as she told him about how she found Joker had killed her parents, and it did bring back memories of seeing Chloe's and his father's dead bodies. Sure, Joker didn't kill Chloe, but he found it funny and just hearing Marinette's description of how pleased Joker was in doing it to her parents made his eyes darken. He often wondered how Batman could never bring himself to kill such a monster, but he could only guess that he always saw it best to not be like the killer clown.

"And to be honest, I'm kinda nervous right now. I'm scared that they might get hurt right now, or while I'm not around, and I don't think I'll sleep well either, because...I get this feeling someone might come in and kill them!" Marinette told him, feeling the weight on her heart being lifted off now that she was sharing this with Adrien, who smoothed her arm to give her comfort, all the while Tikki and Plagg watched on closely, whispering to each other when it'd be best to step in.

"Have you...told them about this? I mean, the Joker part?" Adrien asked softly, trying to ease the tensity she had. She shook her head.

"No. I've only told Tikki, but I do want to talk to them. I've been too nervous because after what Joker tried to do to them, I'm worried I'll get them upset." Marinette explained, her voice low so as not to get any attention from them, even though they were a few floors down.

"This might sound cheap coming from me but you should tell them soon, Marinette. That's what parents are there for..." Adrien looked a bit nervous as he said this, worried he wasn't doing it right, but Marinette smiling at him quickly told him that she gotten what he was saying.

"I will, when I get time, I will." she assured her loving partner.

She then went on to explain the weirdest part of the dream, which was when she saw the Earth was on fire and she was shot by two laser beams.

"It was like every part of me was just turned to ashes and dust in a split second, and it hurt, like a lot. Enough to wake me up, though." Marinette said as she cringed at the feeling of her whole body being destroyed by the two beams. Adrien took it all in and ran a hand through his hair, thinking what to say to his girlfriend.

"That...really is weird. I don't think it's got anything to do with the Butterfly Miraculous or you getting Akumatised, because we did it for a good cause. Maybe it's because after seeing Joker using our Miraculouses that you had it?" Adrien offered, getting a thoughtful look from Marinette. That was something, she had to admit. Holding one half of that power on her right now, and seeing it firsthand, it's possibly true to what Adrien was saying.

"It probably is. Probably a good reminder we managed to stop Joker from using our Miraculouses on the world." she said with a more lighter tone, now seeing it in a better way.

It was then she noticed Adrian's face lose its own life a little, seeing him looking away slightly with a sad look in his eyes. Before Marinette could say anything, he spoke.

"I'm sorry..." he said quietly, guilt clear in his voice, making Marinette look at him in confusion.

"Sorry? You don't need to be sorry, none of this is your fault, Adrien." she tried to reason with him, only to see him grimly looking down.

"It is though...you wouldn't be having any of these nightmares if I had done something." he told her, a hint of anger in his voice, making Marinette stare at him worriedly. That was when Plagg spoke up.

"Oh don't keep beating yourself up, I didn't notice either. Heck, I didn't even realise that was the Peacock Miraculous in your dad's safe!" he said lightly, trying to comfort the boy about his inner feelings.

"It's not that, Plagg. Gabriel was...was my father. He was doing everything from inside my own home, and I didn't even notice it. I could've done something, but I didn't, because I was too scared to question him about anything...I guess I am to blame for all of what he's done to everyone. If I found out earlier, you wouldn't be having those nightmares, Marinette." Adrien said sadly, really going for himself now with all that guilt he was trying to bottle up.

Marinette could only look sympathetically at her boyfriend, feeling as if it was now suddenly his turn to be all sad and worried now she'd had her moment. How long had he been feeling this way and how long had he been bottling this up? Since Hawk Moth's reveal? The bluenette couldn't really blame Adrien for feeling as if his father's crimes were his fault. For a moment, she thought about putting herself in Adrien's shoes and tried to imagine what she would've felt like if her father had turned out to be Hawk Moth. Would she have felt responsible for his actions, like she should've done something about it to prevent him from akumatizing all these people? Marinette wasn't sure what she would've thought. She had to admit that it was quite hard to imagine herself in Adrien's position right now. Instead, she thought it would be best to try and reassure Adrien it was never his fault. She ran a hand softly down his back to comfort him.

"That actually feels quite nice. Thanks." Adrien commented, sounding content.

Marinette squeaked in surprise, not expecting him to actually comment, but she continued running her hand up and down his back to continue easing his nerves. To think that a while back, she was too nervous to even so much as talk to him and yet, here she was perfectly OK with smoothing his back. Whoever said that "time has a funny way of changing things" certainly wasn't kidding!

"You're welcome." Marinette replied, blushing, "Anyway, I understand the way you feel about Hawk Moth and that you feel responsible for his actions. But personally, I don't think you need to really. I mean it's not like he did all of those evil things because you told him to or anything!"

Tikki and Plagg both snickered. Even Adrien couldn't help but smile at how unintentionally funny that sentence had sounded.

"In all seriousness, please don't beat yourself up for what Hawk Moth did." Marinette continued, "Everything he did wasn't your fault. Maybe you could've stopped him back then, but because of how clever he was at hiding himself, nobody could've known who he really was. I mean even I never got close to finding the truth, and I was actively trying to find him! Overall, I'd say that it was nobody's fault he did what he did but himself. He chose to be a heartless man with delusions of grandeur and it cost him in the end. Whoa, that almost sounds like something Tikki would've told me..." she added, amazed at herself for coming up with those words herself.

Adrien smiled and giggled at how perceptive Marinette was. Truly she was more than the clumsy little girl she had once been.

"Guess you gotta thank Tikki for that. Plagg isn't one to give a wise choice of words." he stated, getting a glare from his Kwami.

"Oh c'mon, I haven't been woken up for two hundred years, I wanted to chill out a bit!" he yelled, only to get more giggling from the two humans and Tikki.

"Oh Plagg, always determined to be lazy until the end." the red Kwami noted, making him fold his arms.

"Not changed at all, huh Tikki?" he asked sharply, feeling more embarrassed.

"Well I am the Kwami of Life, I'm not going to just sit back all day!" Tikki declared as she gave him a shove, making Marinette and Adrien smile as they took in the scene, putting the sullen mood behind them for a bit.

Plagg then turned to Tikki with another sharp look.

"Well at least I'm thinking about what we're gonna do now that the police have the Peacock Miraculous! So much for that Batgirl trying to get hold of it!" he pointed out, making Marinette's eyes widen while Adrien lower his head in frustration.

"Oh crap, yes! That Peacock Miraculous is now probably locked away in the police station...if only there was a way we could sneak in and get it..." he trailed off as he thought about the police messing around with the Miraculous.

"Well, Ladybug and Chat Noir can always just ask them to have it back, just say it's our property." Marinette suggested with an optimistic tone, making Adrien look at her in amazement.

"You know, we could do that. I mean, we can say Hawk Moth was abusing the powers of the Miraculous and that we have to take care of it. You're a genius, Marinette!" he said with a smile, glad the bluenette came up with the idea, only to get her to blush in return.

"Heh, well, I wouldn't say genius, but thanks." she said shyly.

Marinette then laid her head on Adrien's chest as he rested back a bit, wanting to relax herself a bit more. The heat turned up a little in both of them, and they smiled shyly as Tikki giggled and shoved Plagg away.

"You know...I wonder how much we have to be Ladybug and Chat Noir anymore? I mean, it's looking like they won't be needed much more." Marinette wondered aloud as she gazed up at Adrien, who looked thoughtful as he looked down at her.

"As much as I'd like that, I think they'll always need us. And hey, if the Miraculouses have anything to do with my mom's disappearance, Ladybug and Chat Noir will be needed for that." he reminded, getting a tap on the chin from Marinette, who beamed up at him.

"Good thinking, Mr Agreste." she said pleasantly, getting a big smile from Adrien.

"You said it, Mrs Ag- uh, I mean, Miss Dupain-Cheng!" he corrected, almost losing himself there, only to get a giggle out of Marinette.

The French girl couldn't help but feel flattered that Adrien came close to calling her "Mrs. Agreste". It showed that he was already imagining a future where the two were a happily wedded couple, a fantasy she herself had often had during the days that she and Adrien didn't know either one was a superhero. If Adrien was already having thoughts like that than it showed their relationship was going to be a steady one indeed. Marinette couldn't be more grateful that her dreams had come true and Adrien was with her at last. She edged a little closer with her head still on his chest and her arms slowly closing around him.

"I honestly think I'd like being called "Mrs. Agreste"." she said playfully.

Adrien chuckled shyly as he embraced his girlfriend in return. It was a bit early to think about marriage and he had to wonder why he'd nearly said that. But he was still going to enjoy every moment he and Marinette spent together as boyfriend and girlfriend. And as of now, he couldn't think of anyway this moment could get any better. Just the two of them alone together in Marinette's cosy bedroom with nothing to worry about, it was truly the picture perfect moment a couple could spend together. And little did they realize was that their time as a couple was about to become more than just romantic...

* * *

While it was evening over in Paris, it was later at night in the cold country of Canada. Canada was six hours ahead of Paris time, so many of the citizens of Canada were sound asleep while Paris itself was still mostly awake. It was very dark and the air was icy cold, as expected from the country at night time. But there was one person who was out at this very night who clearly didn't mind that it was cold. In fact, he was standing among the snow-covered mountain tops and not even so much as shivering. He just stood there, proud and majestic, as he looked down on the sleepy village below. This was no ordinary man standing out in the cold. This was a god, one of the many gods of the Greek Pantheon to be precise. He was known as the divine trickster and the messenger of the gods. But he was also known as Hermes, one of Zeus's sons.

Dressed in clothes everyone think would be idiotic to wear in this weather, golden armoured boots clung to his shins, with his feet bare and sitting snugly in the snow, with a long cream waist cloth hung between his legs, another similar piece of clothing wrapped around his neck while gold armour covered his body. Covering his hair from the falling snowflakes was a gold helmet that had angel wings lifting high at the top, while in his right hand was a caduceus, angel wings open at the rope while two snakes clutched tightly to it. Hermes was a god and the weather did not bother him to get changed. He did deliver messages a lot so he didn't see the need to change the clothes he wore as he never stayed in one place.

Hermes could only smile down at the village, a pang of jealousy in his heart as he thought of all those that were all snuggled in their warm beds. His home in the realm of the gods was indeed relaxing, but he did desire to often sleep in a simple bed as did the humans he and his pantheon protected. But he was glad to see such peace too, for the whole world was often a ravaged hellish landscaped whenever he walked across it's lands, remembering all too well how hard it was back in the First World War...

He took his thoughts away from the past as he then looked to the hillside on the other end of the village. Hermes smiled as he could see the light from the large house was still on.

"Probably just reading one of his books. Still best I check on dear brother, find out why he's not keeping in contact." he said to himself in a light tone, being the ever so carefree runner that he was.

As fast as the Flash himself, Hermes shot from the mountaintop and ran through across a complete frozen landscape where even the snowflakes had stopped falling, for from the naked eye, Hermes was invisible as he used the next two seconds to get to the house, nothing but a golden streak of light following his helmet's wings.

A small burst of light filled the air as he came to a stop outside the house, the snow falling again once his run was finished. From where he stood, Hermes noticed how quiet the whole place seemed, making him look unsure for a second.

"Hmm, Dionysus is a winemaker, but he usually enjoys the television, so why doesn't he have it on now?" he asked himself as he walked up the wooden steps of the entry, shortly grabbing hold of the door handle and opening it delicately, as if he was holding an ancient piece of art.

Slowly, he planted his bare feet onto the wooden floor of the house and gently closed the door behind him, but once he smelled the air, Hermes almost found himself gagging. Whatever the stench was, it was strong and rotten. A wash of the cold weather outside came over Hermes once he took it all in, covering his lower face with his cape.

"It's rotting...as if someone died." he said to himself grimly as he then crouched low. If he was thinking what he was thinking, then he had to keep himself scarce but observant.

Going through the house's hallway and into the living room, Hermes eyes briefly searched around to see how Dionysus made use of his money to get a nice home out in the Canadian forest, seeing his many prizes that dated back to the old days of when the world knew them a lot more, from big animal skins to the more modern certificate closed away by a glass frame, while having leather sofas that had large pillows at both ends, while a wine bottle sat alone on a nearby cabinet, while the television was playing at a level volume.

The neat, homely warmth was then gone as Hermes quietly carried himself through the room to see there was a massive hole in the ceiling, as if a boulder was thrown through the floor above. That was enough to tell Hermes that he had to be ready, because from the smell and the damage, a fight had taken place and it had ended not too long ago. Fear gripped the god's heart as the sickening thought of his younger brother being dead began to appear in his mind. For while they were gods, they were only among many others that could still be killed, part of a new line that while powerful, were not strong enough to face against a frightening enemy of unlimited power. And he saw too many wars to imagine what kind of a state his brother was in.

The door to the study was in two pieces and the walls had tears and blast holes all across it. Hermes readied his Caduceus as he went towards the door, getting a sight of a charred foot that looked as if it had been in the cooker. Standing fully to height, Hermes' eyes widened in horror as he entered the room, looking down at the corpse of a being that clearly was alive only recently, for smoke still seeped off the body. But he only had to look at the thin cheeks to tell him it was who he thought it was. It was Dionysus, his face stuck in a pained look as if he was screaming. Whoever did this clearly wanted to make him suffer and he could only think of what kind of weapon or power could put him through this.

Just as Hermes gotten by the corpse's side and began to hold it close as if it were still alive, his eyes widened as a sharp hiss filled the air, for two red beams somewhat zigzagged through the living room and shot towards him at speed that matched his own. Hermes could only stare on as the beams finished their zap as they plunged into his stomach, with lines of heat tearing across his skin. A cry could only come out of him before he was reduced to a pile of ashes, his Caduceus dropping to the floor like a rock, smoke filling the study due to how hot the ashes were, only fresh skin earlier.

Footsteps of armoured boots slowly made their way across the living room, the shadow of the figure tall and curvy, her legs big and thick enough to shatter a billion testicles if she were to put them to use, while her arms were well built to take down a creature five times her size. A smile came over her smooth face as her red eyes lost their glow, pulling out the Father Box that rested on her belt. Grail could only giggle as she observed the ashes melting into the wooden floor beside the rotting corpse.

"I'm almost impressed, Hermes. To think that really was you I just vaporised." Grail said smugly as she heard the air being torn through. She then shot her right arm out and caught hold of Hermes as he came running at her with a furious look on him, clenching his neck hard.

"You will pay for killing my brother, hell-spawn!" Hermes gagged out as he shot his knee to her stomach, only for Grail to whack it away with a swipe from her Father Box and then she drew him in forward and head butted him hard, denying his helmet before tossing him through the wall behind her, sending him flying into the wine room, where he was laying in a shattered barrel of wine, drenching him.

Grail walked calmly towards him as she put her Father Box on her belt, pulling out her hooked knife with a smile. "You honestly think I care what you think of me, Old God? You aren't the same person as all the tales once said." she spoke smartly as Hermes stood to his feet, a brace smirk on his face.

"Last I checked so was your father. How are coping, wiping his backside?" he shot back, making her eyes narrow as she drew back her knife.

That was when Grail was rammed from behind, sending her flying through the floor and taking her to the cellar below. Hermes smirked as he outstretched his arm, allowing his Caduceus to come to him. He then ran down to the cellar at super speed, but found Grail wasn't there. A flash of light against metal to his right caught his eye and dodged an incoming slice from the hooked knife, only to then receive a hard punch to his cheek from the front, followed with a jab to the throat, a hard kick to his leg that brought him down onto one, and then he was kicked up the chin, a loud crunch echoing as he felt his teeth parting slighty.

Grail smiled seductively as she stood before him, Hermes glaring at her as he felt blood fill his mouth. Grail trailed her fingers under his chin and giggled as she saw his cheeks turn red.

"If you are a god, why is it people don't look up to you? Why don't you lead them?" she asked, swiftly grabbing his head and slamming it against her knee, making Hermes cry out in agony as blood shot from his nose, making him stagger to his feet backwards. Grail then punched him hard in the chest, denting his armour and making a splat of blood fly into her face. She then gotten more brutal when she squeezed his arms and drew him closer to her, shooting one of her legs up and smashed it hard into his groin, a loud crunch echoing throughout the room and a mass flow of blood covered Grail's knee.

She laughed as the squealing god was sent flying through the ceiling and ending up tearing through a tree outside, finding himself buried under a huge lump of snow. Grail pulled her hooked knife from the wall and jumped out of the holes she made.

"Clearly not a god." she stated as she looked at the blood on her knee after landing.

The sight of blood from her enemies as she brutally beat them to a pulp was a delicious sight to the half-Amazon. She advanced towards Hermes, her knife in hand and ready for the killer strike. She was a little annoyed that Hermes didn't put up much of a fight and that this was going to be over with already but at the same time, she wasn't going to complain. At least her job was going to be much easier than expected. Or so Grail thought.

As soon as she came close enough to stab the buried Hermes, the messenger god sprung to his feet, moving so fast that Grail recoiled in surprise. He also sent snow flying everywhere, some of it splattering straight into the demi-god's face. Grail was momentarily blinded as some of the snow hit her eyes and Hermes wasted no time taking advantage of this distraction. He charged straight into her, aiming his right arm and shoulder forward so he could ram the New God off her feet. Grail was thrown backwards and she almost fell over on her back. She just managed to aim her feet correctly so she landed on them, but a little too hard so she was brought down on her knees as she skidded to a halt in the snow. Hermes didn't allow her time to recover, moving in quickly and elbowing the New God/Amazon hybrid in the cheek. Grail took the blow and retaliated with an elbow to the stomach on her opponent. Hermes doubled over and Grail stood up so she could kick him into the air while he was stunned. Hermes was sent flying but he managed to manoeuvre himself so that he landed safely on his feet.

Once he landed, he aimed his caduceus at Grail. The snakes that coiled around the golden staff moved from around the top and stared straight ahead at Grail. Their mouths opened up and fired a large splodge of venom at her. Grail anticipated the move and fired her Omega beams at the venom splodges to vaporize them in mid-air. But the attack hadn't necessarily meant to hit her. After destroying the venom, Grail gasped as she saw Hermes suddenly rush towards her and swing his caduceus straight into her head. If Grail had been human, that blow would've fractured her skull. But because she was half New God and half Amazon, it only felt like being hit by a baseball bat to her. The blow had still been enough to send her reeling to the side. Growling angrily, Grail ignored the pain in her head as she lashed out with her knife. Hermes blocked her blow with his own weapon but the messenger wasn't quick enough to block a backhanded punch as Grail swiped at his face. Hermes staggered, but remained standing. He and Grail then exchanged a barrage of punches and kicks, neither one able to land a blow on the other as they countered the other's moves several times.

Grail sheathed her knife so she could have another hand free and punched at Hermes's head. The Greek god dodged her punch and uppercut the Apokalips god in the chin. Smirking, Grail swung her head down and headbutted Hermes straight between the eyes. To Hermes, it felt like being hit by a sack of rocks. He staggered backwards, allowing Grail to blast him with another shot of her Omega beams, hitting him directly in the chest. His armour protected him from the worst of the blast, but as Hermes was brought down onto his back by the beams, he noticed that there was a large chunk of armour now missing, the gold singed with black around the area he'd been hit. It wouldn't protect him much longer. He had to end this now before Grail had a chance to kill him.

He picked himself up, trying to ignore the pain he was feeling in most parts of his body, and readied himself as Grail advanced towards her. She looked supremely confident, as if she was in total control and that she had nothing to worry about.

"I must admit, you proved tougher than I thought." she purred, "I like a challenge. It always makes the kill more fun when I deliver the finishing blow."

"Glad I could please you in that regard." Hermes muttered sarcastically, "But I won't die today. Mark my words, I WILL avenge Dionysus and send you back to Apokalips, bloodied and beaten!"

That was when he raised his caduceus and emitted a bright, dazzling flashbang that lit up the whole forest for a moment. It was so bright that anybody closing their eyes would still think it was too much. Grail was caught completely off-guard, crying in anguish as she was momentarily blinded by the bright light. She put her hands over her eyes to try and ease the pain in them. Hermes seized his chance and charged straight into his opponent, taking Grail straight off her feet and slamming her into several trees with enough force to knock them over. He then finished off by flying into the air and swinging Grail down into the ground as hard as he could. Grail came down so heavily that she sent snow flying everywhere. She lay in a crater, groaning from the impact of her slam. Hermes flew down towards her, intent on crashing straight into her like a missile aimed at an enemy base. But he didn't get the chance as Grail picked herself up and flew up towards him. Hermes only just had chance to see Grail was heading towards him before he was tackled and sent crashing down into a tree as Grail drop kicked him into it.

For a few seconds, Hermes could only watch on in agony as the tree's top half he was sent through began to make a slow drop on top of him...only for it to stop in mid drop, making him frown in confusion. Then the next thing he saw was two grey hands gripping the sides of the tree and it was walking down on him repeatedly at the speed of light, as if he was getting beaten by a billion batons fired up by lightning. Each blow was more painful after the other, each one delivering big damage to the Old God, his helmet flying off and landing beside the bottom of another tree. His vision blurred and his mouth filled with blood as he felt his bones being pushed inwards, feeling his organs beginning to pop. Another whack to his chest and he swore he felt one of his ribs come out through his back, but he was in too much pain to even cry out. Not yet though, as he still gripped his Caduceus tight, aiming it up at the sky as if he was about fire it.

After another minute or so, the tree was tossed to the side as if it was a tiny stick that had finished beating a snake to death, a wave of snow flying through the air as it hit the ground. Grail panted, her muscles aching a bit but a smirk came over her face as she took the sight of Hermes's beaten body, seeing he was laying in a frozen blood puddle, his face covered in red and purple, his features almost non recognizable. Just good enough for her, he did put up a fight, and she had a lot of joy in beating the Old God to a tiny little bit of his life left.

Hermes' vision cleared, looking through one eye to see Grail walking towards him. She looked so out of place in such a place like a snow covered forest, for she was a demon of fire and destruction, but she did look rather more...beautiful looking with how her smile looked in the environment. His body shivered as Grail crouched beside him, her hand going for her Father Box while she looked at his Caduceus.

"I don't think you'll be flying off anywhere soon, god of messages. I don't think anyone will come for you now." she said soothingly as she pushed his hand down onto the snow, her touch gentle yet strong, though Hermes' still kept hold of his weapon, his eye still looking at Grail.

"Your death is good for the universe, actually. Your power will strengthen my father's and a new era of Gods will oversee this universe, just as how it should've been, before you all hidden away in your portals to keep you out of sight from the rest of the world" Grail said in a light tone as she raised her Father Box over the body of Hermes. His lips opened, getting Grail's eyes drawn to them. She smiled as she then lowered herself on top of him, her breasts pressing into his side and keeping her mouth just a small inch away from his, as if teasing him over his last moments.

"Is it a kiss you desire? Because I don't mind, weakling." she whispered, her voice low and soft like a brush, sending another strong rush of cold across Hermes, who tried not to take in her hair's smell. He wasn't going to die like this. Not without giving her a shot of his own words. For the image of an Amazon princess standing tall and brave in front of frightened people then took his sight, and that was an image he'd hold onto for the last few seconds of his life.

"She...will...stop you. You will...lose...you are the weakling!" Hermes gotten out, his eye soft as the image of the Amazon stayed in it, his heart beating more steadily now. Yet Grail smiled, her eyes full of confidence.

"Oh she will try to stop me. And she will see who the real Amazon princess is." she said softly as she pulled away and pressed a button on the bronze and red box in her hand, letting go of it and letting it do it's work.

Red blasts of energy zapped across the box and it jolted violently as the bottom compartment opened up, a red glow lightening down onto Hermes' body. The lightning energy blasts then torn away at Hermes, a red glow of clouds being sucked from his body and into the Father Box. Grail could only watch on in joy as she saw her work was getting done, hoping that this would be the last one for her father to be restored to power. But she then briefly found herself wincing in pain, for the whole air was filled with the sound of a billion screams that could destroy the ground she was on right now. Grail covered her ears and closed her eyes as she felt the scream hit her hard, not wanting her eyes to be taken out.

She could only open them a little to see Hermes screaming loudly as his human features were sucked away by the Father Box, but he was aiming his Caduceus again, it was glowing like a golden spear that would tear through even the darkest of places. At first, the sound was just agonizing noise to Grail. But as she saw him aiming his caduceus and watched it glow, she began to wonder something else as she tried to block the terrible screams out. Was Hermes...sending a message with that scream?

 _Scream all you want._ she thought arrogantly, _You'll only bring her to me..._

* * *

At first, the sound was just agonizing noise to Grail. But as she saw him aiming his caduceus and watched it glow, she began to wonder something else as she tried to block the terrible screams out. Was Hermes...sending a message with that scream?

Scream all you want. she thought arrogantly, You'll only bring her to me...

The very woman that Hermes and Grail had both been thinking about was just enjoying a quiet evening to herself before Hermes's screams finally reached her. After defeating Queen Bee's troops and freeing their captives, Diana Prince had spent the rest of the day tending to the poor people of Africa and handing out the last of the W.H.O. supplies. She was still in Africa now, sleeping peacefully in a tent for she had wanted to stay the night. The Amazon didn't feel like it was time to leave yet and wanted to be there for another day. The night was younger here than it was in Canada due to the country being seven hours ahead of Africa. Diana hadn't been sleeping for long before Hermes's dying screams had finally reached her. Despite being miles away from him, the Amazon princess heard it as clear as daylight and sat up in her bed. Her eyes were wide and her mouth hung open as she heard the screams. Her stomach tightened for she knew what that sound meant.

"By Hera..." she gasped, "That's Hermes! And it sounds like...oh no..."

Sleep would have to wait after all. Deciding to investigate what had happened, Diana changed quickly into her trademark battle armour and walked outside of her tent. With her lasso on her hip and her sword and shield in hand, the Spirit of Truth was ready once more for a fight. Part of her Amazon training made her ready for a battle no matter what time it was.

"I hope he's not already dead by the time I reach him..." she said to herself as she took flight, heading towards Canada to reach the dying god.

* * *

At the exact same time this was happening, Marinette and Adrien were finally trying the cinnamon croissants that the former had recommend trying. Adrien took a bite and slowly chewed, allowing the taste to roll over his tongue as he took in the sweet cinnamon and the flaky pastry of the croissant. He wasn't at all surprised how good it tasted. What did he expect from a family that runs a bakery? Nothing less. He beamed with delight.

"Wow Marinette, you weren't kidding when you said these are great!" he cried, "Your mom was right to try this new recipe."

"I know right?!" Marinette exclaimed, "I could eat these all day if I could, they taste that great!"

She took a bite out of her own croissant, but as she was savoring the flavour of the delicate pastry, she noticed Tikki flinch in surprise as if somebody had touched her shoulder. The Kwami turned her head to one side, her large eyes wide in horror. Plagg noticed that Tikki looked troubled and he zipped over to her. The magical pink creature was hovering in place as still as a statue, listening intently to some invisible sound that it seemed only she could hear. Plagg knew what this meant, being all too familair with Tikki's past as the Kawmi of an Amazon.

"What is it?" Plagg asked, "Is it one of them gods again?"

"Gods?" Marinette and Adrien asked in unison.

Tikki turned to her friends, her face now devoid of its usual pink colour. She looked like a ghost with how white her face had become. Her tiny body shook with anxiety and her antennae twitched furiously.

"My friends...I just heard the sound of screaming...DYING screams!" she whispered hoarsely, "Somebody has found the Messenger of the Gods himself, Hermes! And...I think they're killing him!"

* * *

 _ **The plot begins to thicken now. Grail's killed a god and is taking his power for Darkseid but our heroes have heard his dying screams. What will happen now Wonder Woman, Ladybug and Cat Noir are catching wind of what's happening? Can Grail be stopped before Darkseid regains his powers? Tune in next time to find out...**_


	5. Chapter 4: Murder Investigation

_Chapter 4: Murder Investigation_

For what was like a blur of the many landscapes of the world zipping past her, the Amazon princess soon found the air take a great change as she found herself in a storm of snow. Wonder Woman knew for sure she was in the right place as her lasso was glowing a lot brighter, telling the princess that she was near Hermes and that his Caduceus was still in use. At least this was a sign that he was still alive...

Stopping to take in her surroundings, Wonder Woman remained in the air as she honed her senses, clutching her lasso tightly as she let it increase her focus, closing her eyes to do so. For a moment, the wind was nothing but a slight chill to her skin and not even a whisper of it could be heard, ror the princess had only focussed on Hermes, trying to pinpoint where he could be.

Flames then filled her mind, and a strong smell of burning wood filled her nose. Opening her eyes, Diana looked to the west and could see a dark plume of smoke rising from there, a tiny glow of flames lightening up the place from below.

Her heart almost gripped by the cold hands of fear, Wonder Woman shot her arms forward and flew downwards to the source of the smoke, then adjusted her position to aim her legs forward, bashing through many branches thickly covered in snow, coming down at a speed that could do little damage to her thanks being granted such special powers by Hera.

Her armoured boots soon found ground, sending a big burst of snow flying all around her. Wonder Woman looked up ahead to find the house nearby greatly damaged with the smoke and fire still at full strength and eating away at the house.

Trailing her eyes to the sight of several toppled trees, Wonder Woman stormed through the snow to follow the big bodies of wood, her heart already losing more of its warm light of hope for Hermes' life, yet her lasso still glowed bright in the darkness of the night-time forest around her, only telling her she was getting closer.

After another moment of leaping over the many trees that had been destroyed in the battle, Wonder Woman came to a stop with her eyes filled in horror as she was greeted with the sight of a rotting corpse that had lost any of its lifelike features that was only fighting earlier. Rags of a cape and waist cloth were torn and burnt, while chunks of armour laid about the body, clearly having taken a beating. Beside its thin hand was the Caduceus, which was glowing only so slightly, as if it was dying.

Walking nervously towards the body and her hands shaking like leaves in the wind, Wonder Woman dropped to her knees in despair as she picked up the Caduceus, knowing too well who it belonged to and who the charred corpse once was. Tears were already rising in her eyes as her heart was overcome with grief, looking down at the empty, rotting eyes of the former god. She was too late, nothing could save the messenger god now.

"Hermes...by the gods I'm so sorry!" she cried as she held the body up, holding it close to her as if it was still alive and had only been hurt.

Even the strongest and most kind hearted of heroes showed they could be pushed to the brink of crying, and Wonder Woman was one of them. For someone who was alive for so long, one would be thinking she was used to losing people around her...but that would just not be human, for Wonder Woman herself loved all life around her, for the weak, for the powerful, for the young, for the old, and those she looked to in Greek pantheon.

Memories began to flood back in for the Amazon as she remembered all the times she had with Hermes, letting her tears roll down her face more as she began to realise how dark this situation was...for if the Greek pantheon was under attack, then that could only mean the Earth was now in the middle of a dark plan that put it and many innocents in danger...

* * *

Over in her bedroom of Paris, Marinette tried to let it sink over what Tikki just said, while Plagg was patting the Ladybug Kwami softly with his own arms as she still looked nervous, while Adrien looked greatly concerned about it all.

"Hold on, you mean Hermes, the messenger of the Gods? But how? I mean, how do you know it's him?" Marinette asked with a frown, only for Plagg to wave her question off.

"Its a long story, we just have to get to him now and see if he's okay, right Tikki?" he asked the Kwami of Life, who nodded in response.

"Yes, we need to tend to him now! I can feel his soul fading, Plagg, and that's not good!"

"But, do you even know where he is, Tikki?" Marinette asked again, trying to put some sense into what she was hearing. She believed the gods were real, given she was in a world full of aliens, ghosts, demigods, and others, but she still had to make some sense of what she was hearing. Adrien then spoken up.

"He can't be far if Tikki can tell he's dying. Isn't that right, Tikki?" he asked in a levelled tone, taking this in quite seriously.

"No...I'm not sure...but there's someone else who might know about this too. She can help." Tikki said as she tried to regain her more normal attitude, looking to Marinette as she spoke.

Marinette gasped in shock when she got the look. It clicked into her about who Tikki was talking about, and part of her had to resist the urge of squealing in excitement because it wouldn't be right for what was going on right now. Still, she couldn't help feel her mood brighten at the thought of seeing the Amazon again. And this time it was on business, and she had to keep nerves calm.

"Yes, Diana, I mean Wonder Woman, she'll know, yes." she said quickly, making Adrien look at her with wide eyes as she went through her jacket pocket to pull out another phone that had the Wonder Woman symbol on its cover.

"Wait, she gave you a phone too? I mean, she didn't give one to me, but Constantine did...uh, sorry, but how can she help?" he asked as he tried to get to the point.

Marinette gave him a small smile, taking it easy with how he was trying to understand.

"Its okay. She's tied to the Greek pantheon of gods, so if someone else knows about what's going on with Hermes, she'll know." she explained, opening up her phone and getting up the call icon.

"That's a better looking cover than what Constantine gave to Adrien, looked pretty crap and torn with that star sign on it. Stinks of smoke too." Plagg chuckled, getting a frown off of Adrien.

"Not now, Plagg, be quiet." he told him, already standing close to Marinette as she began to ring Wonder Woman.

A mixture of emotions went through Marinette. Part of her was going to ecstatic at hearing from Wonder Woman, as she was such a nice person who taught her so many great things during her stay at Gotham. Just wanting to hear that lovely, wise voice talking to her again and giving her the best advice she could give. But Marinette did have to bite back any excitement or stuttering, as she remembered that someone's life was at risk here and she had to put that first instead of being a fan squealing over hearing from her friend again.

After a moment of ringing, she gotten an answer.

"Hello?" came the voice of the Goddess of Truth herself.

"Hi Wonder-ahem, I mean hi Diana!" Marinette piped excitedly, "How is every..." she paused to clear her throat and re-compose herself. This wasn't the time to be excitable! "Sorry, lost myself for a moment there. Diana, Tikki tells me and Adrien she heard screaming from one of the Greek Gods, Hermes. She wonders if..."

"...I know anything about that?" Wonder Woman concluded the sentence, knowing what Marinette was going to say, "Yes child, I do. I'm actually with him right now."

"Is he OK?"

"No...not in the slightest. I'm afraid we're too late to save him now..."

A long pause came from this as Marinette stared at the phone in shock. It was as if the phone had just told her she was going to die any moment now. Tikki hung her head in sorrow, knowing from Marinette's expression what Wonder Woman had just said. She didn't need Marinette to tell her what she'd heard. Plagg and Adrien caught the signs and knew what this meant too, sorry to hear that Wonder Woman had lost one of the many gods she had ties to.

"Diana...I...I'm so sorry to hear..." Marinette stammered, unsure how to properly get her words out.

"Don't be dear Marinette." Wonder Woman replied gently, "There was nothing any of us could've done. I'm one of the fastest fliers on the planet and I was still too late. Hermes's death was something we couldn't have prevented. But we can avenge him at the very least." she added, a cold edge to her words.

"How do we do that? Do we investigate and try to find out who killed him?" the French teen asked.

"Absolutely." the Amazon confirmed, "And as much as I'd like to keep you and Adrien out of this, I'm not adverse to any help. I would contact the Justice League but many of them are otherwise engaged. Even Batman's not available to provide his detective skills. So if you two are available, I'll have Cyborg Boom Tube you two over to Canada to help find out who killed Hermes."

Just the very idea of working with Wonder Woman was enough to make Marinette's stomach flip in excitement. First she spends a quiet evening with her boyfriend, now she'll get to join Wonder Woman in a mission to capture a god's killer! Could this night get anymore exciting?! At the same time, the superheroine wondered if she and Cat Noir would be up for this. They weren't used to fighting gods. Hawk Moth's akuma minions were nothing like gods. Were they utterly out of their depth in this case? Would they be on a suicide mission if they got tangled up with gods and god killers? Maybe so...but that didn't matter. Marinette wasn't going to stand by and let a murderer walk free. She was going to join Wonder Woman, regardless of the risks.

"We'll join you Diana." Marinette declared, "We're just gonna transform and then you can get Cyborg to warp us to your location."

"Thank you very much Marinette. Your aid and the aid of your boyfriend will be much appreciated. I'll see you two then." Wonder Woman replied.

With nothing more to say, Marinette shut off the phone and pocketed it. She turned to Adrien, her eyes serious for the first time in a while.

"I'm afraid our date will have to wait." she said grimly, "Are you ready for this Adrien?"

"As always Marinette!" Adrien declared, "I've kinda missed being Cat Noir. I'm right with you wherever we go!"

"Then let's go." Marinette said, "Tikki, SPOTS ON!" she cried.

"Plagg, CLAWS OUT!" Adrien yelled at the same time.

In a great mixture of pink and green flashes, Tikki and Plagg were sucked inside the earrings and ring of their owners, and Marinette and Adrien were no longer the ordinary kids they usually were, for as the flash cleared, they were now standing fresh and strong in their outfits once again, Ladybug's suit bright as ever, and Chat Noir's own suit as thick and tight as it always was. He gave Ladybug a wink as he noticed her eyes taking in his muscles. She never did before, but a blushing Ladybug couldn't help but notice now how ripped he was. And goodness now knowing he was Chat Noir just made all sorts of imaginations come to her thoughts.

"Glad to be back at work again, M'Lady?" he asked with a smile, getting a playful smirk off of her.

"With you helping me? Always. Now, how do we find a-"

She didn't get to finish her sentence as a low "Boom" went out near her window, making her and Chat Noir jump a little. Turning around, they looked on with wide eyes as they saw a circular portal in front of them, the aura holding decimal like textures constantly glowing and matching into its surroundings. Ladybug could only hope her parents didn't hear anything, taking in the fact the Boom Tube didn't move anything in her room.

"Ladybug and Chat Noir recognised. Opening Boom Tube to Canada." came a robotic voice that sounded lost of any emotion with a slight vibrate to it, making them both a bit confused as they took it in.

"Okay, didn't think Cyborg sounded like that." Chat Noir said with a frown.

"I am Chrome Stone, an A.I built into the Watchtower by Cyborg to make automatic responses to requests by other heroes. Wonder Woman awaits you." the voice replied, making them both sigh in relief, allowing them both to relax as they approached the Boom Tube, though their hands gently stayed an inch apart, that tiny bit of fear still at them.

"It did just say Canada, right?" Chat Noir then asked as they could see a silhouetted figure standing at the opposite side. Ladybug nodded.

"Yeah...not sure which side of Canada though" she replied with a weak giggle as snow then blew into her room from the Boom Tube. Chat Noir giggled as he walked forward.

"Here's hoping magic can keep us warm. I'll be a coat for you, M'Lady." he winked as she followed after them.

For a second, everything turned jelly for them, from their toes to their brains, Ladybug and Chat Noir almost lost their grip on reality as decimals filled their sight. Although fear began to come over them as well as the constant humming of the Boom Tube, tan like hands then emerged in front of them, grabbing them gently by their wrists and slowly pulled through.

Crashing to their knees, both Ladybug and Chat Noir gasped for air as if they had gone on without it for a long while. They didn't even realise they were now partly in thick grounds of snow, at least not until the same hands that saved them gave them both a gentle rub on the shoulders, bringing them back to reality. Their faces already going hot from the cold air, they looked up to see the soft but slightly sad face of Wonder Woman, who was looking concerned for them as the Boom Tube faded behind her.

"Marinette, Adrien? How are you both feeling?" she asked, her voice warm unlike the cold weather they were in now. Ladybug nodded quickly as she stood back to her feet, helping Chat Noir back up.

"Y-Yeah. Do Boom Tubes always do that?" she asked as she rubbed her head, getting a small smile off of Wonder Woman.

"Only the first time around, dear. It should be alright the next time we go through." she assured softly, before looking to Chat Noir.

"I hope you are doing alright now that you are back home, Adrien." she said kindly, having briefly met him during her stay at Wayne Manor, though she was greatly concerned about him being around John Constantine. He gave her a small wave in response.

"Yeah, doing fine, but I'm not important right now. Where's, um...where's Hermes or...what's left of him?" he asked nervously, trying to remember the deep subject of their meeting.

"He's not far away. I will warn you, it's gruesome." Wonder Woman replied bitterly as she began to lead them through the snow towards the body.

"Well, after what we saw a few weeks ago, I think we can manage it, Diana." Ladybug replied with a huff as she had to take big steps through the snow, given she didn't often walk through snow like this.

"So, where were you when this happened? You said you flew here." Ladybug then asked as she took in the night sky around her, already trying to get use to the time zone of Canada. She was also thinking of what exactly the Amazon had been up to since they met each other at Wayne Manor.

Wonder Woman gave her a small smile, her thoughts too focused on what was going on right now to talk of her work in Africa.

"Just been helping the world as best I can, dear child. Making people's lives better in any way I can." she said quietly, still trying to remember the good of the world she was part of and what else she tried to do without fighting anyone.

Ladybug smiled in admiration, already thinking exactly what Wonder Woman had been doing. She learned the Amazon had different identities and jobs over the years, most of which was charity work and she could only imagine the warrior going out into rundown communities helping those that were in need of getting a better grip on life. Showed that fighting wasn't always the option of saving the world.

"I bet whoever you were helping really appreciated you coming over." Ladybug said kindly.

"Believe me when I say that as an ambassador of peace between Man's World and Themiscyra, the greatest reward I can receive from the people of Man's World is a few words of thanks and a grateful smile." Wonder Woman said, her voice soft and gentle as she thought back to the happy faces of the African people in the village she had been helping out, "That to me makes whatever I do all the more worthwhile."

"If only all people did what they did for a sweet reward like that and not allowed themselves to be motivated by greed." Cat Noir muttered.

"Oh even greedy people can be motivated to do the right thing. I know Booster Gold is one such person." Wonder Woman explained, briefly thinking about the golden time-traveller from the 25th century, "He was once motivated by greed but over time, would go onto be a noble hero."

"That sounds great." Ladybug said brightly, "I wonder what it'd be like to meet him?"

"Truth be told, he is...quite a character." the Amazon chuckled, "But he's another story for another time. Hermes is just over here."

She turned towards the destroyed house and headed just beyond it to the spot where she had found Hermes's charred corpse and led the French heroes over to it. Standing aside, she allowed Ladybug and Cat Noir to see what had become of the messenger god. His Caduceus still lay beside him, the light glowing fainter and fainter as any last shred of life left in it began to die away. Ladybug almost screamed in horror but quickly clasped her hands over her mouth to stop herself. Cat Noir cringed in disgust. He imagined this is how firefighters felt when seeing charred remains of dead people that were burnt alive in the fires they fought. Hermes's corpse was an ugly sight, looking as if he'd been tossed into a pit of lava and dragged back out again. The two looked away, not wanting to see anymore.

"My god...that...that's Hermes?!" Ladybug stammered, "No wonder you're investigating his death! All I can say is "What the heck happened to him?!" just looking at his remains!"

"Indeed so Ladybug, and the sooner we uncover his killer, the better." Wonder Woman said coldly, "I cannot allow a god killer to roam freely when it's a sign that many lives, even the whole world, could be at risk."

"So given Hermes is a god, that narrows down the suspect list a little." Cat Noir noted, "Only gods can kill other gods, that's how it works right?"

"Absolutely." Wonder Woman confirmed, "So it won't be any of our mortal enemies. The charred nature of his corpse suggests that he might've been attacked by someone from Apokalips. The gods that live on that hideous planet are among some of the most powerful in the universe."

"What's Apokalips and who do you know that lives there?" Ladybug asked.

"It is one of two homes to a race of beings known as the New Gods." the Amazon explained, "The other home is New Genesis, which is peaceful and prosperous. Apokalips...well...Man's World would say it looks like "hell". Many of the Justice League's foes have come from Apokalips from the Female Furies to Steppenwolf to Desaad and most dangerous of all...Darkseid. But I sincerely doubt that it'll be his doing given what recently happened to him." she added thoughtfully.

"What happened to him recently...what is it that happened to him exactly?" Cat Noir asked.

"It's quite a long story." Wonder Woman said, the tone of her voice suggesting she didn't have the patience to explain it all, "I'll just sum it up by saying he was regressed to a baby state so he won't be at full power. But his daughter, Grail, is as powerful as him and isn't currently an infant so maybe...just maybe, it could've been her..."

Chat Noir then waved his hands in the air over what he just heard.

"Hold on, Darkseid turned into a baby? That big grey guy that shoots lasers from his eyes? Not to change the subject, but if he's so powerful, how did it happen?" he asked with a few points of his own.

"Adrien has a point, I remember seeing him on the news when he attacked Metropolis a few times. Can't imagine him being a baby, or having a daughter." Ladybug added, showing she was on the same lines as Chat Noir, "I mean, if we're gonna help you with this, Diana, we're gonna need to know everything." she then said, though keeping her voice on a reasonable level so as not to sound impolite or demanding.

Wonder Woman looked Ladybug in the eyes and could see that she had wisdom of her own for a child her age. No wonder Tikki was given to her. Tikki must've helped her out a lot from what she told her. Casting sad eyes over onto Hermes' corpse, she nodded with a small sigh.

"Yes, children. I'm sorry in keeping all the details from you, it's just a bit complicated." she said as she looked back to them. Ladybug gave her a small smile.

"You can tell us, Diana. All ears are listening." she said kindly, getting a grateful nod in response.

"Grail...it's all to do with her. She's half Amazon and half Apokaliptian. Her mother was the known Amazon assassin, Myrina, who agreed to produce a child for Darkseid to create the finest warrior that could bring about peace...at least how he saw peace." she began to explain, her voice serious as she told them the story of the powerful woman.

"Ugh, still can't believe a guy like him can have children." Chat Noir said with a sickened look, not liking the image he had in his head.

"Grail was born on Themiscyra, at the same time as I was created. Myrina killed the Amazons who helped her give birth and she fled Themiscyra to protect Grail. My mother kept this a secret from me when I was little, but she told me everything after what happened to Darkseid...do you remember those evil versions of me and the Justice League?" she then asked as she then laid the Caduceus on top of the charred corpse of Hermes, with Ladybug taking note of how gentle she was in holding his arms and placing them on top of his chest. She had to think of how brave Wonder Woman was being in treating the body of a dead god.

Remembering her question, she answered.

"Y-Yeah, they tried to take control of the government, but that was back when I was a lot younger. I remember seeing Superman fighting a guy with a big U on his chest." she said as she remembered it all on the news at the time.

"What do they have to do with this?" Chat Noir asked, his cat ears turning white from the snow.

"One of them was called MAZHAS. His powers was different from Captain Marvel, because he could absorb other people's powers. My counterpart of the Crime Syndicate had his baby, and we gotten word that she was found dead in a cave with no sign of the baby. A few years later, the outskirts of Metropolis became a battleground to stop Darkseid from getting an old weapon Grail and Steppenwolf found. During this, Grail appeared and used the baby to absorb Darkseid's powers and life force into it, turning him into a baby after he was beaten down by a clone of Doomsday." Wonder Woman added as she covered the legs of Hermes with what was left of his waist robe.

"Hang on, Grail did that to him? But...Myrina was told to give him a child that could be used by him to help him conquer the universe. Why did she do that to him?" Ladybug asked with a frown as she took in the info. Wonder Woman let out a low giggle, something that she didn't do that much.

"When you have a child produced by a life living warrior and the devil, you get a complicated individual. From what Hermes had told me when I approached the pantheon, Myrina tried to teach Grail what peace really meant and how to get Darkseid to see it. Grail didn't really see how peace could be achieved without violence and strategizing cruel means, but she does desire such a thing. She knows what peace is, but wanted a different way of getting it. Myrina tried to stop her from using the baby, because the baby would die."

Chat Noir wasn't liking where this was going, having listened to all that the Amazon had to say.

"And...I guess that didn't end good?" he asked nervously, getting a nod from Wonder Woman.

"I saw it...Grail really struggled not to do it because...she was her mother, but Grail desired peace more...and she did to her what I guess she did to Hermes." she said sadly as she rested a hand over his forehead.

Ladybug gasped in horror at this and her eyes scrunched up in disgust.

"She...killed her own mom!? And she killed the baby by turning it into Darkseid!? What kind of a person is she in wanting peace but decides to kill her mom to get it!?" she yelled, almost shocked at hearing the sound of someone worse than Joker. He honestly seemed more like a little toy compared to what she was hearing about Grail. Chat Noir nodded.

"Even after all Gabriel had done, I'd never bring myself to kill him. Just how messed up is she?" he asked in a tone similar to his girlfriend's.

"Like I said, raising a child that was produced by a good and bad person is a difficult thing to do. Grail hated what she did, but she wanted to get her plan for peace to be done. My guess is that she turned her father into a baby to make him a better person." Wonder Woman added as she began to walk over towards the burning building nearby.

"Yeah...really messed up" Chat Noir said as he watched Wonder Woman go into the building. "I don't know what she's doing, but don't you think we're dealing with something out of our hands, M'Lady? I mean, Joker was one thing, but this Grail sounds like a top strategist that could hand our asses to us." he said quietly as he tried not to look at the body of Hermes.

Ladybug gave her boyfriend a firm look.

"I know it sounds too much, Adrien, but I'm not going to stand back and let Wonder Woman handle this alone. Everyone we care about could be at stake again, and I don't want to lose them or you." she said in a gentle tone, understanding where he was coming from but giving reason to keep up with Wonder Woman about this. She was nervous about this too but she felt helping Wonder Woman was the right thing to do.

Chat Noir smiled at his lover, just seeing that nothing was going to change her mind, and his heart already told him what he should do.

"If that's the case, I'm going with you on this, Marinette. I'll have your back" he said with his voice filled with more confidence, making her smile.

"And I'll have yours, like always." she said as she gave his hand a soft squeeze.

They then shot up as they heard a gasp from within the building.

"By the gods!" came Wonder Woman's voice, making Ladybug and Chat Noir go for their yoyo and baton as they went towards the door, only to stop as they've found Wonder Woman coming out holding another dead body in her arms, in the same state as Hermes. Ladybug gasped while Chat Noir took hold of her arms to give her the warm support she needed at seeing such a thing.

"This is the body of Dionysius! That's two of them now gone!" Wonder Woman cried in despair as she fell to her knees, holding the body of the dead god closely as she tried to stop her tears.

Ladybug suppressed a gulp as she then walked over towards Wonder Woman with Chat Noir following closely with his baton at his side. Ladybug didn't exactly feel the same way how Wonder Woman was feeling, but she could tell these gods meant something to Wonder Woman to get her in a state like this. All that Wonder Woman told her of was what Themiscyra and the Amazons were like, but didn't know much of her views of the Greek gods.

But she knew what to do, for she joined the Amazon's side and wrapped her arms around her, telling the Amazon she was not alone. Ladybug never thought superheroes would cry, but she remembered they were still people at heart and they could be reduced to tears like everyone else, and they always needed help in getting through darkness too.

Chat Noir stood back to let Ladybug do her bit, because he honestly didn't know what to say to Wonder Woman, but he knew his lover would always find the right words to say and what she could do to help. Yet as Ladybug rested her face against Wonder Woman's shoulder, the killer behind all this was making progress...

* * *

Having returned to the darkness of the catacombs again, Grail sat opposite from her father as the Father Box floated towards him, his red eyes hungry and full of desire. Grail felt a massive amount of pride as she saw her father gratefully take hold of the Father Box, which glowed a deep yellow as he looked at it.

"Hmm...two then? You mapped out Hermes' travels very carefully, my dear." Darkseid said proudly as he sensed the two life forces inside of the box. Grail smiled and waved her hand around in a gentle way.

"Like I said, they know of who else I killed, and it's always best to target the weakest prey first to bring out the strong. He put up a fight, but he proved he was no god, nothing compared to you." Grail said in a pleasant tone, as if the whole killing was a case of tidying up a messy room.

"I guess your mother taught you that. Very good of her, her teachings clearly left an impact on you." Darkseid said with a smile of his own as he looked on at the box, not noticing Grail flinch at the mention of her mother. A brief wave of cold and sadness came over her as the image of her crying mother was reduced to ashes by two Omega Beams, making Grail clench her teeth to fight the emotions.

"So father, I trust that the power I bring to you is enough to restore you to normal?" the Amazon/Apokaliptian hybrid asked.

"We shall see, but first, I am awaiting the arrival of Mantis." Darkseid explained, still holding the Father Box as if it was precious treasure to him, "He has dying Apokaliptians for us to create new Parademons out of. How kind of him. I do want an army by my side when I am restored to normal."

"Yes, and with any luck, we'll succeed in our plans and bring peace to this world, as well as finally crack that Anti-Life Equation you're so obsessed with." Grail purred.

"And with my power restored, I'll NEVER be brought down to this degrading state again!" the Apokalips ruler declared.

Grail tried not to flinch at his voice being raised, but she did frown a little as she looked at him up and down as he came forward slightly, his face still cracked and cold, but looking a little smoother due to his younger look.

"Hasn't this taught you anything though, father? Starting again a lot younger?" Grail asked carefully, not wanting to face his anger. Darkseid shook his head.

"Only that living among beggars and low lives in the poorer parts of this planet is something I don't intend to go through again. You did the best you could though in trying to keep me safe, Grail, and you had to stuck to the lowest of this planet in doing so. I appreciate it." Darkseid replied somewhat kindly as he began to open the Father Box.

Grail felt a hot rush of anger go through her but bit back any fire that tried to come out of her.

"But don't you see how their leaders try to help them? The similarities these snails and slugs have compared to others on Apokalips and out in the rest of the universe? Think of what you could do with your power restored." she tried to reason, a smile on her face as if to make light of their situation.

Darkseid shook his head as he pressed the button on the Father Box to open up another part of it, the box getting warmer in his hands.

"The only thing I shall do is wipe out residents and towns like this on Apokalips. They do produce a lot of threats I overlooked given Steppenwolf has rewarded them with peace and weapons for helping stock up his own weapons." he said with a low growl as he thought of his uncle sitting on his throne, all proud at being the leader when he had no right.

Before Grail could say anything else, a massive stream of energy came out of the box like a firework being let off up close. It made her groan slightly as such a power of this blinded her slightly, but she could just see her father smiling in delight as it was absorbed into him, his cracks glowing red as it did so. She could just see his size getting bigger in height and muscle, already giving him more power and strength he had lost long ago.

It soon died down, first looking like an aura that went around his body before being absorbed right in by him, the mission now fully completed. Darkseid closed his eyes and sucked in air to help adjust to the changes, before opening them with a slightly disappointed look, glaring at his body.

"It was a lot, but still not enough." he groaned, looking back to the darkness as if he was too ashamed to show any such weakness or disappointment. Grail held back a gulp and stood up, approaching her father, but he held a hand out to her to make her stop.

"My daughter, I do wish to get angry with you, but the longer I hide in here with such limited power, the more likely I'll end up killing you in a fit of rage. You've been loyal to me enough and I do not wish to harm you." he said calmly, trying to hide his anger at not getting back to full power.

Grail hung her head with a sorrowful look in her eyes.

"I'm sorry for failing you, father. I thought this would've been it." she said. Darkseid turned to her with calm eyes, yet his posture still hard and cold.

"You needn't apologise, Grail. There's still a possibility to get me back to normal soon. You know of the events that happened in the city above, yes?" he asked firmly, making Grail look to him with an understanding look.

"Yes, I do. They do give off traces of magic that seems to work on a scale close to powers of yours, but...they're two young children. I'm not sure if they even have a high percentage of full accessibility to their powers." Grail explained, trying to change her father's desire, only for Darkseid to turn to her with the same cold look on his face. Even when so young, his face held a lot of unknown power of fear and cruelty behind it.

"There's always the possibility of pushing them to their full potential, once we have the equipment if needed. I'm sure with the day getting darker you can scout around and try to track down the source of their magic. It could even lead you right to them." he suggested, being reasonable as if to keep a lid on his anger from being so disappointed with what he 'd gotten.

Grail nodded as the door behind her opened up to reveal quite a bulky figure.

"Yes, father. I'll do my best to find it, and bring along a few other dying souls that would make good Parademons." she assured with a small sigh as the figure entered the room, his face like that of an insect with claw like teeth, his eyes green and his head masked by a golden mask that gave off the likes of royalty. His arms and legs were armoured with shells grown from his own body, while guns were strapped to his arms and his belt held a number of inhuman weapons.

"There won't be any need of that, Grail. I've brought enough traitorous low lives from Apokalips that will equal the forces of Steppenwolf!" he assured in a somewhat proud tone as he said this. Grail glared at him.

"With all that power you could easily kill Steppenwolf yourself." she bluntly told him, only for him to gave her a raised eyebrow.

"I would if he didn't have my people held captive. You should be glad he's not found out what I'm doing." he argued back, only for Darkseid to walk in between them with his hands behind his back.

"No need for arguing. Your loyalty will be well rewarded in the end, Mantis, but I would need you to visit our other base of operations to see how Desaad is doing with those he's collecting." he requested, his voice dry but still calm as ever. Mantis nodded at him.

"Anything for you, my God King." he said as he turned back to the door, with Grail taking hold of the Father Box.

"Do wait for me, father. I'll try to return with some light for your situation." she said softly as she turned back from him, a rush of hot and angry emotions running through her as Darkseid walked back to the other side of the dark room to continue meditating.

"Nothing..." the half-Amazon grumbled to herself, "It's all amounted to nothing. Father is restored to an infant state and that doesn't change anything about him! I had sincerely hoped that I'd give him a new perspective of life and a better idea on how to achieve peace in this primitive galaxy. Instead? He's just the same as when he was an adult. It may as well be that nothing happened to him at all..."

She left her father to mediate in peace, taking the Father Box with her and resisting the urge to unleash her fury and anger. She didn't want to give Darkseid the idea on how she truly felt about the whole thing. Once she was a good distance away from Darkseid, and sure he wouldn't hear her, Grail growled savagely and punched one of the walls, the single punch enough to put a hole in it and cause several bricks to crumble out onto the floor. Several cracks spread from the hole and one of them even managed to touch the ceiling. The punch had made Grail feel a little better about herself, but she still had anger coursing through her veins. She let out a sigh, running a hand over her head in exasperation.

"There's still hope he'll see reason. There's still a chance I can get him to see things my way." Grail hissed, clenching onto the little bit of hope she still had in her, "Not all is lost yet..."

She glanced down at the Father Box, grimly reminding herself on what she had taken it for.

"At least I can please father by finding that magic that seems to linger around this city." she thought, "And I can satisfy my own curiosity too. I've always wondered what sort of magic this city seems to hide. And maybe I can find out just how powerful this magic really is..."

That made Grail feel a little more cheerful. As doubtful as she was that she'd finally get Darkseid to see her idea of peace, she was interested to see what sort of power she was going to find and how powerful it would make the Apokaliptian army. Would it give them the power to not only restore Darkseid to normal, but also overthrow Steppenwolf? And would the power end up changing Darkseid so he'd finally see things her way? So many questions and so many answers to find. The Apokaliptian/Amazon hybrid was all too keen to find those answers.

A few minutes later, Grail had left the catacombs of Paris and found herself traversing through the City of Romance once again. As much as she agreed with how inferior this planet was to Apokalips and its residents, the grey-skinned demigod had to admit that there was something strangely attractive about Earth's cities. This city in particular was quite a sight to behold. How did a city built by primitive, pathetic humans managed to be so bright and colourful? It was certainly a huge change from the flame pits of Apokalips. And yet it looked so inviting and so...peaceful even. Earth was a planet with so much to be disgusted at, yet so much to be entranced by. Grail took in all the sights, while making sure not to draw attention to herself. She even flew up onto the rooftops of houses so that she'd be harder to spot. From where she stood, she could see the Eiffel Tower, standing tall and illuminated brightly against the night sky.

"Such a primitive world...yet so beautiful." Grail murmured to herself, "If only father could see it too."

She turned away and flew over some more houses. This wasn't the time to be sight-seeing and she couldn't let herself be distracted. The Apokaliptian looked down at the Father Box as she flew, noticing that it was guiding her somewhere. It had picked up the energy signatures! That made Grail grin with pleasure. At least her search wasn't going to be as long as she thought. She flew over several houses before coming across the home of Master Fu. To her, she had come across just another house in the city. But it clearly wasn't just any ordinary house. The Father Box was telling her that the energy signature was at its strongest here. The readings were very high, the highest they had been since she'd come to this country. So this must be where the power resides! Chuckling sinisterly to herself, Grail put away the Father Box and rubbed her hands.

"There we are. Now to see what power this city holds..." she purred.

Just as she was about to leap across, she paused as she caught a glimpse of two familiar youngsters, both of whom were chatting together as they walked towards the home of the ancient protector of the Miraculouses. Grail groaned and kept herself to the shadows, watching Alya and Nino closely.

"I might've killed children before but I promised I'd just be scouting." she whispered to herself, trying to resist the urge of jumping down and slashing the two, but she had to hold it off. That would cause a lot of problems with Paris having two dead youngsters, as it was still recovering from the loss of one already.

"I'm not sure, Alya. He might need some time alone, and I don't think Adrien would like it if he found out you tracked his phone here." Nino said quietly, trying to ease his girlfriend in thinking about this differently. Alya tapped his shoulder gently and smiled.

"Nino, for the last time, I'm checking out the place. That way we can check on him if he's feeling down. Gotta say I didn't think the healing spa would take him, but I guess he must have a good heart in taking Adrien in." she said calmly, eyeing the place up and down.

"Well there better not be any press reporters following us here, they don't know how to leave people alone. Look, it's getting dark now and I'm getting nervous as it is, can we go now, investigator?" Nino replied, his voice low and full of nervousness, feeling as if they were being watched...and they sure were, being watched by a pair of red eyes in the dark.

"Alright, chill out, DJ. We are going, mission accomplished." Alya assured, turning with Nino as they walked back where they came.

"I'm just saying we oughta be careful on how we go about things, girlfriend. I don't want to end up like Chloe, there could be all kinds of monsters coming to Paris now." Nino explained, still quiet but firm in his words.

Grail smirked as she watched them leave.

"Or saviours. Dear children need to learn better these days." she whispered to herself as she then stood to full height and leapt across the rooftop, landing stealthily on the balcony of the spa opposite her. Drawing out her hooked knife, Grail beamed as she slid the door open.

"So, what powers lay in here then?" She asked herself with a hint of excitement to her voice as she took in the room around her.

Grail smiled as she took in the Asian style of the room. It certainly was far from China, but it told her Earth's societies were well mixed and greatly respected. That was something else she had hoped to bring about if she were to get through to her father, in their desire for peace.

Bringing out her Father Box again, Grail smiled as it traced the signature to the room below the one she was in.

"Lets go get it then, shall we?" She giggled as she went towards the door opposite her, ready to go to the lower level...

* * *

Back in Canada, the investigation into Hermes's death was still underway. Having suspected that Grail was behind the murder, Wonder Woman wanted to prove her theory correct or incorrect so she had contacted Chrome Stone to Boom Tube an energy tracer down to her. She hadn't carried one with her already for she hadn't thought she'd need one until now. Now she had the energy tracer, she used it to scan for energy traces all around the area they were in to get a clue on Hermes's killer. The energy tracer was a large gadget, roughly the size of an I-pad but more hi-tech in design and featuring a lot of buttons. Wonder Woman wasn't the most tech savvy superhero out there but she had been taught how to use the device should she need to, so she was able to use it with no problem. Ladybug and Cat Noir kept themselves scarce so as not to interfere with the tracer's readings. Their energy signatures would make any findings inconclusive for it would pick them up instead of what Wonder Woman was actually looking for.

A few minutes passed as Wonder Woman swept the device over the area, making sure she didn't miss even an inch of the crime scene. She even slowly ran the device over Hermes and Dionysus's bodies to see what she could pick up form the bodies. The Amazon soon finished and she scanned the energy tracer to see what its final reading said. Her heart skipped a beat as she read the words she had hoped she wouldn't read, but had strongly suspected she would:

 **APOKALIPTIAN/AMAZON DNA**

"By Hera, I wish my suspicions hadn't been true..." Wonder Woman muttered, "It was Grail who did this!"

"Just as you suspected." Ladybug said grimly, "So now we know who the killer is, what do we do now? I doubt we're gonna find Grail here. She'll be LONG gone at this point."

Wonder Woman had gotten the results she needed and all she needed to do now was do one last thing for the two gods. Taking the lump of burning wood sitting safely nearby, she lit up the remains of them, the fire reflecting in her eyes as they ate the bodies of the corpses.

"Quite likely." Wonder Woman said grimly as she looked back to where she had burnt the remains of Hermes and Dionysius, trying to hide the clash of emotions still going through her.

"She must have a Father Box with her, so if I can increase the tracer to planetary scale, I might be able to find her. Hopefully it won't take too long..." she said more to herself as she began to work away at the buttons on the tracer.

Ladybug took in how serious she was being about all this. She felt the same about it, but she could see there was a deep amount of fire behind those soft blue eyes of the Amazon, and they did often point out it was always the nicer ones that had the deepest power of rage. She could only imagine what the Amazon would do to Grail. And that gotten to her mouth as she thought about it.

"When you find her, are you...going to kill her?" Ladybug asked with a lot of concern in her voice, something that made Chat Noir's eyes widen while Wonder Woman stopped from what she was doing, "I mean...I know these two gods must've meant something to you, Diana, and Grail did do a lot of bad things but...is it really the way to go? To kill her?" she went on, trying to be reasonable with the Amazon, for that was one of her better known sides. Chat Noir shook his head.

"I don't know, M'Lady...if this Grail is Darkseid's daughter, maybe she can't be killed." he said, adding in his view on the whole thing, and that made Ladybug's heart pang in fear for a second. An enemy that couldn't be killed? Yes, she was against killing, but if something can't be killed, then they couldn't be stopped...what if they were taking on something out of their depth?

"She can be killed, child. All gods can...but I'm not going to do that." Wonder Woman said reassuringly after a silent moment, clearly having thought about the answer she gave to Ladybug, who now looked astonished, Chat Noir along with her.

"Really? I've...gotta hand it to you, after all we've heard about her, I don't know how much restraint you've got in not killing her. Not saying it's a good option but...you know what I'm on about, right?" Ladybug asked nervously, hoping not to have upset the princess.

A small and sad smile came over Wonder Woman as she looked up to Ladybug and Chat Noir, and they could see in her eyes that for as much compassion and love there was, there was a deep amount of sadness that filled them.

"I...back when Hermes showed me this world, it was at war. Killing was an option I was always with in fighting on the battlefield but...I realised as time went by, killing is not always the way out. Because if you kill so many, you become as feared as your enemy, when you want to set an example to the good and the bad, and to do that, you have to show understanding and love. That's all I'm willing to give Grail, for as much pain and suffering she's inflicted...she needs to be better guided in life. That's what I'll try to do with her when I find her".

Ladybug and Chat Noir just watched the Amazon in silence and awe at what she just told them. Chat Noir had to admit he wasn't sure if approaching Grail with such care and compassion was right. He wouldn't have done it with his father...but he wasn't Diana. He never saw both sides had similarities...but he wasn't around for as long as she was. The only purest of evil people he fought was Joker, Riddler, and Hawkmoth...did they deserve any compassion and understanding in all of what they did?

Ladybug looked at her with a bright beam, seeing that for while a lot of years were in her eyes, there was always good in them. Good that wanted to build a bridge to both sides. No wonder she was an Ambassador or helped loads of charities. She truly earned the world's love for her.

"Well whatever you do, Diana, we'll be by your side on it. Right, Adrien?" Ladybug asked in a light tone, looking to her boyfriend with her ever so optimistic look. Something that made his heart warm instantly.

"Well, I might not think it's so simple to do that, but I trust you no matter what, Marinette. If that's the way we should go, we'll do it." he said, his voice getting softer as he came to come in line with where Ladybug and Wonder Woman were in their views.

Wonder Woman smiled gladly at the two of them. Something about them just made her feel like she was looking at younger versions of herself and Steve Trevor. Both full of passion and desire to have happiness in the world, but smart and strong in their own ways. She could see Adrien was a better Chat Noir than the ones before him, and that was something she was glad for, and she could see Ladybug had quite the impact on him.

That was when the tracer vibrated, drawing her attention back to it, seeing it was readying results for her. It now showed her a digital globe of the world, with a red spiral emitting from the Europe side. Her eyes went wide as she gestured at the two young heroes to come over. "Marinette, Adrien look. That doesn't look good, see where it's coming from?" She said as they came to her side.

Marinette's heart almost leapt out as she saw where the spiral was emitting from, while Adrien's body went stiff at the sight of the spiral.

"P-Paris!? She's in Paris!? Wh-Where is she, is she killing anyone, can you tell!?" Ladybug asked frantically, grabbing at Wonder Woman's arm out of fear, only for Chat Noir to gently pull her off.

"Can you get the exact location?" he asked tightly to hide the fear in his own voice.

Wonder Woman, feeling the chill of her own fears going through her as she zoomed in on the location.

"Hold on, just getting a lock onto it...in some healing spa, by the looks of it." she took in with a frown, not knowing who exactly was in there...but Ladybug and Chat Noir did, and they were now doing their hardest to keep their fear low.

"Oh no...no...I think I know what she'll be doing!" Ladybug screeched frantically, "Wonder Woman, get Cyborg's A.I. to Boom Tube us there NOW!"

Wonder Woman was puzzled, but she didn't let it bother her for too long. Although she didn't understand why Ladybug seemed so keen to get back home, she wasn't going to waste a second questioning it. Time was precious and any second spent talking gave Grail more time to kill so they had to be quick. She contacted the Watchtower and quickly gave an order to Chrome Stone.

"Chrome Stone, Boom Tube us to Grail's current position!" she barked.

The A.I. wasted no time at all, immediately opening a portal between Paris and Canada so the heroes could travel the great distance between the countries in the blink of an eye. Wonder Woman leapt through first, already bracing herself for combat. Ladybug and Cat Noir followed, their approach more cautious and weary. This was it, the moment where they would face a god. An ACTUAL god! The Joker had become godly when he stole their Miraculouses, but he had become a god. Grail was a legit one, and that made her a deadlier opponent than The Joker by a long shot. They couldn't just separate their Miraculouses and restore the enemy to moral form this time. They were just thankful they weren't fighting Grail alone. As they stepped through the Boom Tube, anxiety filled both teens to the core. Would Master Fu be OK? Had Grail already gotten the Miraculouses? They were so worried that the Boom Tube's effects didn't even register to them, the quick transport from Canada to France feeling like a step through a door this time around.

The could see that Wonder Woman was already in a battle-ready stance and pointing a sword ahead of her. As the Boom Tube closed behind Ladybug and Cat Noir, they heard Wonder Woman shouting at someone.

"Put that man down Grail! No lives have to be senselessly taken today!"

That made the teen heroes' blood run cold. It was just as they'd feared! They looked over Wonder Woman's shoulders and saw Grail herself, standing ahead of them and effortlessly holding Master Fu off the floor by the neck. The old Miraculous Keeper was struggling to breath as Grail held him tight, squirming in her vice-like grip. Ladybug and Cat Noir took in the sight of this hideous being. The grey skin, the blood red eyes, the blue clothes and the twisted smile on her face. Not even Hawk Moth's deadliest akuma minions looked this terrifying. For the first time in her life, Ladybug found herself afraid of who they were up against. She could tell just by looking at the grey woman that this was a woman who radiated power and confidence, and the fact she was holding up somebody with one hand showed she was incredibly strong. And the eyes...those fearsome red eyes! They were the worst part of her! And yet Ladybug felt there was something familiar about her eyes. What had Wonder Woman said about her and Darkseid? They could fire red beams from their eyes. Was her nightmare foretelling this moment?

Grail had her eyes fixed on Wonder Woman. She still held Master Fu, refusing to let him go. For a moment, she didn't seem to realize that she had more opponents than just her. But then her eyes darted from left to right and she saw Ladybug and Cat Noir standing beside the Amazon Princess. Her smile grew even wider.

"Well, well. How kind of you Diana." she crooned, "Not only have you come here so that I may have my long awaited rematch, but you brought the magic wielders of this country with you! Now I get to experience first-hand what kind of power they possess..."

* * *

 _ **Our heroes are face-to-face with Grail. Grail has found Master Fu and is no doubt interested in the Miraculouses. And given Ladybug and Cat Noir are here, she's no doubt interested in them. Will Wonder Woman stop them? Will Grail fully restore Darkseid? Only one way to find out...tune in next time of course! ;)**_

 _ **Join me and my co-writer as the story continues next time...**_


	6. Chapter 5: Rematch

_Chapter 5: Rematch_

Ladybug and Cat Noir stood firm and still by Wonder Woman's side, waiting for the right moment to strike. They knew that just charging in without a proper plan would be suicide given who their opponent was. They both felt a sense of dread and unease acknowledging the fact that here they were, standing in the presence of an actual god, or at least a demigod. And not just any god, but the daughter of Darkseid himself! They didn't know it, but Wonder Woman was feeling just as uneasy as they were. The Amazon ignored a single bead of sweat that snaked down the side of her head as she tried to find a way to bring this to an end without any harm coming to Master Fu, who continued to struggle in Grail's grasp. She held her sword firm, poised to strike, but didn't dare move in case she provoked Grail and gave her an excuse to kill the hostage. Master Fu cried out weakly, trying to make his voice heard despite his being throttled.

"Ladybug...Cat Noir..." he spluttered, "Leave now...you mustn't...let her...get your Miraculouses!"

Grail just shot a glare over at Master Fu as if to tell him to shut up. But instead of saying anything, she just smirked coolly as if satisfied to hear what he'd said.

"So the power you possess. They call it "Miraculous". I guess they ran out of good names to call a power." the half Amazon sneered, "But it must be valuable if this one wants you two to flee."

"Leave the children out of this!" Wonder Woman barked, pointing her sword directly at Grail, "This is between us. You do not need to involve them."

"Oh and I suppose that rule doesn't apply to you?" Grail retorted, "I'm not the one who brought them here. If they get involved, their blood is on YOUR hands, not mine."

Wonder Woman flinched but she quickly fought it off. Grail was right, Ladybug and Cat Noir were her responsibility, but she wasn't going to let Grail taunt her and try to bring her down. Never show weakness to the enemy, that was what she had been taught. She kept her stance, her eyes fixed firmly on Grail's.

"I only ask that you put that man down." the Amazon insisted, "Leave him out of this and let us settle this between sister and sister. Please. Appeal to your Amazon half and let him go."

All this seemed to do was make Grail frown in annoyance as if the request had somehow been offensive.

"I told you before, I am NO ONE'S sister Diana." she hissed angrily, "But if you insist..."

She then proceeded to throw Master Fu down onto the floor with enough force to potentially break the poor man's spine. The ancient Miraculous keeper howled in pain, making Ladybug and Cat Noir wince instinctively, feeling the man's pain. Angered at her mishandling of Master Fu, Wonder Woman leapt into action. At least his life was out of Grail's hands so she wasn't risking everything to attack the Apokaliptian. The Amazon didn't even get to land the first blow as Grail simply raised her leg and swung it forward, kicking her opponent straight in the solar plexus and sending her hurling backwards at great speed. Wonder Woman cried out as she hurled over the Miraculous teens, the duo throwing themselves down on the floor to avoid being hit. Wonder Woman hurled straight into the window, smashing it into a million shards of glass and falling outside with a colossal thump. Grail cackled, clearly amused by the whole thing.

"You always were eager to charge into battle dear princess." she smirked, "Now for you two..." she added, casting her blood red gaze over to Ladybug and Cat Noir.

Ladybug fought off a gulp as she and Chat Noir locked eyes with the goddess. Fear was running through her already after having seen Wonder Woman get so easily kicked to the side. For the time being it was just her and her boyfriend against this frightening goddess.

Ladybug clasped her hand around her yoyo, but as her grip tightened, she cried out in agony as Grail shot over to her at super speed and punched her hard in the face, sending a hot rush going through her before an elbow to the stomach followed, blood spilling from her mouth and nose, making her eyes widen as she felt her whole body nearly explode. Chat Noir tried to whack Grail with his baton, but she grabbed it with a smirk and spun her whole body around it, kicking him hard in the face and sending him flying across the room, smashing into the wall opposite him, blood exploding from his nose.

Ladybug gasped at the sight of her lover getting beaten like a punching bag, making anger rush through her as she tried to envelope Grail in her yoyo, but the Apokaliptian Amazon coldly tosses her hooked knife to Ladybug, who screamed in pain as it pierced her hand and pinned her to the wall, her eyes widening at the impact of the injury.

Grail turned to her and smirked as she looked at her up and down. But before she could do anything, something light flickered in her eyes, then she found herself gasping as the thick and strong hold of the Lasso of Truth wrapped itself around her, with Wonder Woman leaping through the window, with Chat Noir gasping as he gotten back to his feet, his eyes widening as he saw the state Ladybug was in.

"Mar-Ladybug!" he cried, only for her to gesture at him to stay away.

"Get Master Fu up, I'll be fine!" she yelled, fighting off tears of pain as she began to pull the knife out of her hand, hoping to any god that her magic would heal this injury.

Chat Noir looked reluctant but nodded, going towards the injured old man as Wonder Woman calmly approached Grail, her eyes serious.

"Grail, end this now! Tell me why you are here and where is Darkseid!?" she ordered, trying to keep control of the situation.

Grail just simply watched Ladybug as she finally gotten the knife out of her hand, freeing it from the wall. She gasped in agony as the pain ran throbbed hard in her hand, but a cooling relaxation ran through her as the magic of her Miraculous began to heel her injury, greatly pleasing her and Chat Noir. But this pleased Grail as she looked to Wonder Woman.

"Truth is, Diana...I'm not going to tell you." she said softly as she took hold of her lasso.

Before Wonder Woman could react, she was drawn forward and was smashed in the head by Grail's own forehead, losing her grip on the Lasso as it loosened. Ladybug went to hit Grail, but found herself kicked hard in the stomach by the goddess' foot, sending her crashing through the wall behind her. Chat Noir snarled as he tried to claw Grail, only to get a brutal right hook to the face.

Wonder Woman caught her fist and twisted it, making Grail gasp in pain and tried to fight back with her other hand, only for the Amazon to catch that one and stamp hard on Grail's foot, following with a kick to her shin that brought the grey woman to her knees. Using her grip, Wonder Woman tossed Grail up into the ceiling and shortly saw her crashing down into the other end of the living room. She was glad there wasn't anyone else in the building aside from her and her friends.

Ladybug had picked herself back up as did Chat Noir, both of them picking up Master Fu and pulling him away as Wonder Woman drew out her sword again, ready to battle Grail again, filling Ladybug and Chat Noir with deep intensity. But they all froze as Grail then stood up, holding the Miraculous book, having picked it up from where Nooroo and Wayzz were laying unconscious. Grail smiled in delight as she looked at the open page, taking in the similar Miraculouses in them as she held her hooked knife after having picked it up.

"Ah yes, you were reading this, old man. Perhaps I'll have my answers in here." she stated in deep fascination as placed it in her side satchel. Master Fu gasped and groaned in pain and fear.

"No! Th-the book!" he managed to say before he, Ladybug and Chat Noir were sent onto their sides as Grail slammed into Wonder Woman and both female warriors were sent hurling outside onto the streets below, bringing a large chunk of the building with them.

Several citizens ran for their lives to avoid the falling debris. Not everybody made it out alive. Some of the debris landed on top of some of the fleeing citizens. A few adults and a teenage boy with black and blue hair were crushed instantly, reduced to bloody stains on the pavement. Wonder Woman and Grail weren't aware of this at first as they rolled around on the pavement, grappling with one another as one tried to pry the book from the other's hands while the other tried to keep hold of it. Grail clawed viciously at Wonder Woman, her sharp nails able to penetrate the Amazon's skin despite Amazons having tougher skin than normal. Wonder Woman gritted her teeth to hold in the pain and clasped a hand around Grail's face. She had hold of the Apokaliptian's wrist with her other hand, trying to make her let go of the book. Grail managed to hold on tight, refusing to let go no matter how hard Wonder Woman squeezed. In order to make her get off, she fired her Omega Beams at Wonder Woman's face. But the princess had expected that move and quickly threw herself back to avoid being shot. Grail picked herself up and kicked at Wonder Woman, aiming for the solar plexus. Wonder Woman brought her own leg up to block the attack. She threw a terrific punch at Grail that sent her flying backwards into a lamppost. The grey woman knocked it straight over, the tall lamppost toppling over like a felled tree. Wonder Woman noticed with horror that it was falling down towards a nearby civilian and she quickly flew over to catch the lamppost before it could crash down on the civilian.

Saved from a horrific death, the civilian fled for his life as Wonder Woman held the lamppost in place. She was about to use it as a club and smack Grail with it but the Amazon noticed the fallen debris from Master Fu's spa she and Grail had brought with them. Her eyes widened as she saw puddles of blood seeping from underneath the debris piles. It sickened her to see that this fight had brought casualties to Paris. It had only just began and already there were dead bodies on her hands. Despaired by the dead bodies, Wonder Woman knew what had to be done.

"We can't fight here. Too many people's lives are at risk." she declared, "I'll try my best to take this away from Paris to a less populated area."

She dropped the lamppost and drew out her lasso. With any luck, she would be able to use it to take Grail out of Paris and send her elsewhere. Maybe there was a French countryside she could take this to so the risk of casualties could be reduced. Grail stood before Wonder Woman, her own weapon in hand and ready for attack. Wonder Woman twirled the lasso around, aiming to ensnare her opponent.

"Grail! Please, let us take this fight out of the city!" Wonder Woman pleaded, "We are putting innocent lives at risk! We mustn't let our conflict bring unnecessary death to these people!"

"You think I give a damn about these people?" Grail scoffed, "They're all insects, ants beneath my feet! And need I remind you that they're the reason this planet will never be at peace? There's a reason many believe that mankind is slowly killing the planet one day at a time. Why would you EVER risk your lives for their own? They're below you Diana, not worth saving at all!"

"You wouldn't understand. Not that you'd want to..." Wonder Woman retorted, throwing the lasso at Grail and snagging her with it.

She pulled tight onto the magical rope, making sure that it was wrapped tightly around Grail to keep her ensnared. The half Amazon roared angrily and tried to break free from the lasso. It held firm, refusing to release its prisoner. Wonder Woman yanked on the lasso, dragging Grail off her feet and straight towards her. The Amazon pulled her closer and closer so that she could bring Grail into close enough range to try and knock her out. But her opponent reacted first, picking herself up and kicking Wonder Woman in the gut. The blow knocked her down and made her let go of the lasso. Grail untied herself and picked Wonder Woman up, smirking triumphantly as she held tightly onto her shoulder. With her enhanced strength, even Wonder Woman seemed like a lightweight in her hands.

"I may not understand why you risk your lives for these insignificant humans." she hissed, "But I do understand that we share a common goal. We want peace. A shame that we have such different ideas on how to achieve it. If killing you and leaving Earth one protector short will achieve peace, then so be it. For Darkseid!"

She drew her hand back, aiming at Wonder Woman's chest. With one swift move, she would easily plunge her hand through the Amazon's chest and rip out her heart. Wonder Woman was quick to react, holding up her arm so Grail's hand shot forward and hit her armoured bracelet instead. The thick, enhanced metal was enough to not only stop Grail's killing blow, but make her yelp in pain and withdraw her hand as it throbbed. Wonder Woman then punched Grail in the face to make her let go of her. As soon as she was released, she spun around on the spot and swept Grail's legs out from beneath her with a sweeping kick move. The grey woman came down heavily, cracking the ground beneath her as she landed. Wonder Woman pounced, hoping to pin Grail down to the ground and keep her from further attacking but the Apokaliptian/Amazon hybrid drew her legs up and kicked outwards, sending the Goddess of Truth flying backwards through the air and towards the Louvre.

Grail grinned and took off after the Amazon, wanting to finish her off, taking to the air like a missile and soon brought herself downwards towards Wonder Woman, who quickly leapt to the side to avoid getting crushed. Grail landed with a loud crack echoing across the ground, causing it to collapse and make a crater of sorts. Wonder Woman came towards her from the side, but Grail saw this coming and coldly fired her Omega Beams, which zigzagged behind her. Wonder Woman brought her bracelets up to block the blast, which sent her skidding across the ground with her feet digging into the concrete, soon coming to a stop as she was pushed against the glass windows of the Louvre.

Wonder Woman quickly dodged a punch just shortly after the Beams faded, grabbing Grail by the wrist and tossed her onto her back, before planting her foot hard on her stomach to pin her there. Grail's eyes glowed angrily as she looked at Diana, who placed her arm over the gap between her face and Grail's.

"Don't even think about it." she told her as if she was telling off a misbehaving child.

As this was going on, back at Master Fu's home, Ladybug and Chat Noir steadily picked the old man up, brushing off small amounts of rubble and dirt off of him. They looked about to see the damage done to the place. It looked as if the house had been turned upside down as if it were merely a doll's house.

"This is definitely gonna need a makeover." Chat Noir groaned as he and Ladybug brought Master Fu over to a nearby chair, the old man coughing loudly as if something was on his chest. Wayzz and Nooroo had just started waking up.

"Master Fu, is there anything you need? Anything that can heal you? How much do you hurt!?" Ladybug asked worriedly, fearful for the old man's wellbeing, with Chat Noir giving off a similar concerned look.

"Do you need some of that ointment you showed me? Where do you keep it?" he asked worriedly as he patted his shoulder, forgetting all about his anger towards him earlier in the day.

Master Fu waved them off, patting their arms away as he coughed again.

"I'll...I'll be fine, just get the book back from her!" He ordered, holding his chest to ease the pain as his face twisted in agony.

"A-Are you sure?" Ladybug asked nervously as Wayzz and Nooroo came over.

"Just go now! We'll tend to him, you have to help Wonder Woman!" Nooroo pleaded as he pushed Chat Noir away.

He and Ladybug gave each other an unsure look, not sure whether they should leave him or not, but the screams of civilians from outside were getting louder and they couldn't ignore them. Wayzz gave them a small smile.

"We've done this for years. Right now, Paris needs you, now go, please." he urged, pushing them gently towards the damaged window.

They both sighed reluctantly but chosen to trust the two Kwamis.

"Alright, we'll try to get back soon." Ladybug said softly, casting worried eyes at Master Fu, who Chat Noir felt a pang of guilt and regret towards as he looked at him too.

"Take care of him." he said sternly as he went on to leap out of the window with Ladybug, leaving Master Fu looking on sadly with pain and fear in his eyes.

"Please be careful." he said weakly as he began rest back into the chair.

Touching down onto the street below, Ladybug and Chat Noir looked about to see the destruction that was left behind, taking note of the huge chunks of debris and the gruesome remains of civilians that were crushed by the rubble, their hands and legs splattered about in deep puddles of blood. A cold rush went through Ladybug as she took in the horrible sight, while Chat Noir gritted his teeth behind his closed mouth.

"Reminds me of Joker going all godly..." he said quietly just as a certain young couple came rushing to them from behind. Turning around, Ladybug quickly gotten hold of Mylene by the arms, giving her a reassuring look, taking in how scared they were.

"Mylene, Ivan, I know your both frightened, but do you know where-"

"By the Louvre! They both are, just get there and stop them, please!" Mylene cried, her eyes filling with tears of fear, not wanting to see something like this again. Ladybug patted hers and Ivan's arms, ushering them along.

"Alright, get to safety and stay off the streets!" she yelled as they ran off. She turned to Chat Noir with a slightly nervous look.

"Okay, don't think my yo-yo will be much use here...gonna have to get out the Ladyblades, you got anything?" she asked her lover as she began to turn her yo-yo anti-clockwise. Chat Noir looked at his baton and shortened its length.

"I remember Constantine teaching me a trick on how to use my Cataclsym without using up all of my power, just hope I get it right..." he said as he pressed his ring against one end of his baton, his ring glowing a soft green as it passed over onto it.

After turning it a full rotation, Ladybug's yo-yo let out a light glow as it levitated in front of her, before splitting into two and shooting out two long red handles from the bottom, while grey blades with ladybug markings carved onto them shot up with a light purple aura lightening up around them. Catching hold of the swords, Ladybug stood ready as Chat Noir finished lightening up his baton's ends.

"Badass M'Lady." Chat Noir winked as he extended his baton to a towering size, took hold of his lover and shot them both up through the air towards the Louvre.

Looking about, Ladybug caught hold of Wonder Woman just as she was planting her foot onto Grail's chest.

"There she is! Let's go, Adrien!" Ladybug declared, stretching one sword outwards as she and her lover swung downwards at the two fighting women.

Grail smirked up at Wonder Woman as her eyes continued to glow.

"I wasn't thinking about you." she said softly as her Omega Beams fired out again, zipping around Wonder Woman as if tying her up. Looking around, she gasped as the Beams shot towards Ladybug and Chat Noir.

"NO!" She screamed as she clamped her hands over Grail's eyes, fighting off the urge to scream as the beams began to eat through her hands.

The remainder of the first shot still came at the two French heroes, but Ladybug quickly reacted by drawing one sword out and blocked the incoming blasts as they neared her and Chat Noir, making their landing a lot more rigid than how they wanted it.

"Ungh, not as pleasant a landing as I wanted..." Ladybug muttered, fighting off the throbbing in her ankles as she got back to her feet.

She just saw Wonder Woman leap away from Grail and clutch her hands in anguish, unable to keep them over Grail's eyes any longer. Her hands would heal, but for the moment, they hurt too much for her to use them. She would have to wait until they felt better before trying to punch or use her sword. Grail stood up, brushing grit off her shoulders and out of her hair. Despite Wonder Woman's best efforts, she didn't seem too badly hurt. She didn't even seem worn out either. The daughter of Darkseid clearly looked as if she could go on for much longer and still have plenty of energy left.

"I maybe part Amazon, but the difference between me and you?" Grail sneered, "I don't have the weakness of compassion to hold me back. That's why you're never going to defeat me."

"You see compassion as a weight to hold me back. I see it as a strength that keeps me going." Wonder Woman retorted, "Compassion also gives me what you could never have. Friends to aid me in battle..." she concluded, smirking confidently.

Grail snorted as if Wonder Woman had told her something funny.

"You think those children have a chance against me?" she crowed, "I don't doubt for a minute they're powerful, but are they New Gods level of powerful?"

"Why don't we find out?!" Ladybug shrieked, charging towards Grail like an enraged bull.

The Apokaliptian/Amazon hybrid saw Ladybug coming towards her and fired her Omega Beams. Knowing what would happen if they hit her, Ladybug quickly moved out of the way before they could hit her. In a brief second, the image of the red beams coming towards her from her nightmare flashed in her mind. Was the nightmare warning her about this battle? Is that why she had had it to begin with? She didn't have time to dwell on the question for the Omega Beams zigzagged back around to try and hit Ladybug from behind. The spotty heroine reacted, using a move that Wonder Woman had taught her. She held both swords behind her to block the blast, stopping it before it could even touch her. While Ladybug had been distracting Grail, Wonder Woman lowered herself and charged into the grey woman with her shoulder aimed forwards. She hurtled right into her, knocking the villainess clean off her feet and onto the floor. Grail skidded to a harsh halt, kicking up bits of stone and landing into the water feature behind the glass pyramid. Soaking wet and full of fury, Grail picked herself up and fired her Omega Beams once more.

Chat Noir was the next one to use his new weapon, aiming one end of the staff at the Omega Beams as they closed in on him. They hit the staff, but the Cataclysm power at the end of the staff stopped them and caused the beams to dissipate into a red mist that quickly faded away. Grail stared in disbelief, momentarily stunned by this incredible feat. Impossible! How had he managed to just stop her Omega Beams like that?! She quickly found out as she saw the glowing ends of Chat Noir's staff. Her lips curled into a smirk of interest.

"So...that seems to be your power. No wonder father sent me to investigate the magical energies this city is full of." she purred, "I look forward to finding out what makes you tick human..."

"Like hell you will!" Chat Noir shot back as he shot his baton out at a great length and speed, intending to hit Grail with the Cataclysm.

She merely stepped aside but watched in fascination as the glowing tip of the baton connected to the water feature and make it collapse on top itself into small pieces of rubble, the water spilling all over the square. Grail smiled with dark interest.

"The power of decay and death? Now that's interesting". she said to herself as she caught hold of the baton and pulled Chat Noir forward, aiming to kick him.

However, a hot slash came over her shoulder, making her lose her grip on the baton, allowing Chat Noir to kick her in the face to knock her back. Grail hissed as she saw it was Ladybug who slashed her, with Wonder Woman by her side and her sword drawn.

"Three against one! You should surrender right now!" Ladybug demanded, her eyes filled with heat as she kept herself on the alert. Grail tutted as her shoulder healed.

"To an insect? Do you listen to yourself, child?" she shot back as she then dug her fingers into the concrete floor in front of her and tossed the whole lump at Ladybug, who quickly slashed it in half with one of her swords, only to then get a vicious kick to the chest by Grail, sending her flying backwards into a car across the road.

Chat Noir gasped in horror at the sight of his lover getting hurt and his eyes lit up in anger as he ran at Grail, trying to hit her with his baton, but she caught hold of it and twisted it downwards, head butting him as he came closer and sending the leather clad boy onto his back with a vicious blow.

Wonder Woman then caught her in a headlock and tried to wrestle the book from her hands. Ladybug pulled herself off of the car and took in the sight of Chat Noir's state, seeing his head was bleeding. Livid at seeing her boyfriend suffering even more, Ladybug gripped her swords tight and shot forward at Grail with a loud battle cry, but the grey woman caught sight of the bluenette and swiftly drew out her hooked knife and drove it into one of Wonder Woman's legs above the knee pad, freeing her from the Amazon, tearing the knife out of her leg and tossed it at Ladybug, who slashed it aside with her blades, which swiped away at Grail, who laughed as she merely sidestepped from the blades, gladly taking in the angry look of Ladybug.

"Didn't think love was so foolish." she taunted as she caught one of the blades and elbowed Ladybug right in the face and then kicked her legs out from under her.

Ladybug dropped to her back and bared her teeth in hot anger at how Grail was taking this. Was this all a game to her!? Trying to kill so many innocents and making her feel pathetic and hurting her boyfriend!? She was going to show her. Grail tried to stamp on Ladybug, who dodged the incoming attack and drove one blade right into Grail's foot and twisted it, catching sight of Grail's face twisting into agony as she screamed, not noticing how shocked Chat Noir and Wonder Woman looked.

Not taking notice of them, Ladybug slashed her other blade up at Grail's chest, cutting deeply through her armour to leave its mark, before spinning to her feet and screaming angrily as she slashed away at Grail, who struggled to regain her stance. Ladybug never felt like this before, nor did she ever look so pissed off, and that greatly worried Wonder Woman, who rammed into Grail from the side, shocking Ladybug.

"I had her!" she yelled in frustration, but quickly refocused as Chat Noir gotten to Wonder Woman's side and pressed his baton's end onto Grail's shoulder, causing cracks to shoot across her skin from where he was pressing it.

Grail snarled as her legs closed around Wonder Woman's arm and twisted it around, making the Amazon cry in pain as Grail spun up and shot one fist deep into Chat Noir's face, tearing out a large piece of his skin, but he didn't let the shock settle in. Instead, he angrily snarled as he began to swat at Grail with his baton with one hand while trying to claw at her with his other, with Ladybug coming at her from behind with her blades.

Grail, however, picked up on Ladybug's footsteps and smirked as she then gripped Chat Noir's baton, pulled him forward and slammed him face first into Ladybug. Gripping hold of his baton while he still had hold of it, Grail swung him and Ladybug up and then slammed them across the other side of the street, leaving them sprawled out on top of the car. A collective gasps of horror came from those remaining civilians that had stayed, shocked to see their heroes were getting beaten like punch bags by Grail, who was then brought to her knees as Wonder Woman bashed a concrete rock on top of her. Getting frustrated, Grail shot her head up and smashed it into Wonder Woman's chin, a loud crack echoing from the impact and a sprinkle of blood shooting from her mouth.

As the two Amazon's fought, Ladybug groaned as she pulled herself around on the car, trying to regain her senses as pain went through her like a fire. Each hit she got from Grail was almost as if her organs were exploding, and she wasn't sure if the magic healing was going to kick in soon unless she stopped fighting for a bit.

A wheezing caught her attention and she gasped as she saw Chat Noir beside her, his chest moving slowly to catch his breath. Taking hold of him and pulling him up, Ladybug gasped as she saw his handsome face was blood drenched and a chunk of flesh gone from his face. Pangs of horror and fear ran through Ladybug as she took this in, already scared that her boyfriend was at the edge of life.

"Chat...Chat c'mon, get up...we need you, please, c'mon..." Ladybug pleaded as she caught sight of Wonder Woman and Grail still viciously beating each other up.

A groan and a sparkle was the response she got, and it wasn't long until Ladybug saw Chat's skin restructuring under a green glow of magic, while the tears in his suit slowly put itself back together. Chat groaned but smiled as he opened his eyes.

"I'm not going anywhere, Marinette." he whispered warmly, already feeling the aches in his body fading.

Ladybug was so relieved that her boyfriend was OK that she grasped him in a tight hug, feeling as if she'd just gotten him back from the dead. Chat Noir chuckled and gently pushed her away.

"Save the hugs and kisses for AFTER we've kicked Grail's ass, 'kay?" he said teasingly.

Ladybug blushed, realizing she'd let her love show on the battlefield. She helped Chat Noir get back onto his feet just as something came hurling towards them at top speed. Wonder Woman had managed to grab hold of Grail and had deliberately thrown her towards the French heroes after seeing them get up. She had intended for them to attack Grail before she hit the ground and was pleased to see them catch on to her plan. Chat Noir drew his baton back and swung it like a baseball bat. He felt the moment that metal came into contact with flesh and bone, surprised at the shuddering sensation that flared through his arms as he hit Grail. Now he knew what it felt like to hit a god. It wasn't like hitting an akuma minion. As far as Grail was concerned, he may as well have been swinging at a boulder with his baton. He still felt his arms shudder as Grail hit the ground like a falling rock. She groaned in pain, getting up onto one elbow and spluttering. Before she could even get up though, Ladybug pounced on Grail and pinned her to the floor. In order to keep her from getting up again, she plunged bother her swords into the ground in a cross-shape on either side of Grail's neck. Grail couldn't move without slitting her throat in this position. She didn't dare move her head in order to avoid self-decapitation.

"We teamed up with Batman to stop The Joker. Now we've teamed up with Wonder Woman to stop you." Ladybug proclaimed, "And much like how we beat The Joker, we've beaten you. Now I suggest you let Wonder Woman take you in peacefully and you might get to keep your head."

"Actually, I think YOU are the one who needs to worry about losing their head little ladybug!" Grail sneered, her face full of confidence. This was the face of a woman who clearly thought she wasn't beaten yet. And it wasn't unjustified of her to think like this.

Ladybug only just realized the horrible mistake she'd made. In pinning down Grail, she'd left herself wide-open for her Omega Beams! She was just moving out of the way as Grail's eyes glowed and although the beams shot up over her head, they zigzagged back around and hit Ladybug squarely in the back. The insect-themed heroine was thrown off her feet, crying loudly as she hit the floor and wincing as her back flared with pain. Now she was away from the swords, Grail pulled them out of the ground so she could stand back up again. She tossed the weapons aside, refusing to degrade herself by using them, and strolled over to Ladybug casually as if she had all the time in the world to finish her off. She grabbed the French heroine by the hair, making her yell out loud as she was hauled off the ground.

"You think yourself a hero? Maybe the next member of the Justice League?" Grail crowed, "I doubt you'd even be welcome in the Teen Titans! How you're Paris's protector, I'll never know."

Chat Noir let out a loud yell of anger as he ran towards Grail again, trying to bring his baton down on her like a hammer to a nail. She stood still as she caught hold of the baton and smirked.

"When will you learn to stop doing that?" she taunted as she then drove the baton into his foot, making Chat Noir scream in pain as the hot burning feeling of his Cataclsym burnt his foot, before he was tossed to the side like a small ball.

Wonder Woman tried to tackle Grail by leaping at her, but instead Grail used Ladybug as a shield, driving her right into Diana's face at such a speed that she swore she felt her head crack. It made Ladybug scream in utter pain, feeling as if a rock had hit her right in the face. Grail followed this with a brutal blast of her Omega Beams, hitting Wonder Woman right in the stomach and sending her flying for miles from the Louvre.

Daziness and numbness took over the bluenette as Grail dragged her towards the barricade of cars that were left by their owners who were so desperate to get away, where only a small number of people were left, waiting for any hope of seeing their heroes beating Grail. The goddess took in the sight of how horrified the people were as she stood on top of a car, still holding Ladybug by her neck.

Her eyes slowly took in the amount of people that were seeing this. Young children who looked devastated to see her in such a state, adults fearing for their lives, and friends who she helped make better when they were akumatized. Alya and Nino were among those seeing this, Alya filming the whole thing on her phone with an open jaw. Grail took notice of her and smirked, making Ladybug claw away at her grip in agony, fearful over what she'd do next.

"Is this the hero of Paris? Are the next generation of heroes mere children!? You leave your city in the hands of a young girl who hardly understands the power in her hands? You should feel like fools. You won't get peace with her or her pathetic, sad little boyfriend-"

"He's not pathetic!" Ladybug shouted, more angry at the insults being aimed at Chat Noir then those at herself.

Grail just squeezed harder, making Ladybug's eyes widen as she felt her breathing getting shortened, as if her neck was nothing but a twig. Grail looked down on the people with a taunting look, eying Alya as if she wanted her to show the world this whole thing.

"Ladybug, c'mon, you can fight her! Don't let her beat you!" Alya bravely called, her eyes still full of belief in her hero, who tried to keep her eyes open as the squeezing gotten tighter.

"Oh she's been beaten, dear young girl. Just see for yourself." Grail said coldly as her hand then gripped the back of Ladybug's head. Before she knew it, Ladybug was being smashed, face first, onto the car below her. Before she could even scream, Grail did it again and again, each hit getting harder and harder. Her vision blurring, Ladybug felt her nose was wet with blood and could feel her hair getting looser, her pigtails having come off from the way Grail was handling her. Her face was almost numb and her eyes slowly shut, just barely staying conscious. She almost didn't realise Grail had stopped, now presenting her to everyone as if she'd won a prize. Ladybug's hair was now loose and looked as if she'd only just gotten out of bed, strands of her hair loose over her face and drenched in blood. The heroine felt her heart beating faster, just wanting this to stop now...

Chat Noir had just been trying to ease the pain in his foot and waiting for the healing to kick in, but Grail's speech being interrupted caught his attention. Looking up, his heart almost stopped at the sight of Ladybug being gripped by the neck, her arms desperately clawing for survival. His ears could pick up the choking, how her voice was being drowned by it...

Something deep inside of him began to get hotter. His fingers were trembling as adrenaline pumped through his muscles and his eyes narrowed as they glowed a bright green, his teeth almost sharpening like a demon, his heart screaming for his lover.

"No...not Marinette! Not the girl who always made my days worth living! Not the girl I love! HOW DARE YOU YOU BITCH!" he thought angrily as he tossed his baton aside, charging right at Grail with his hands outstretched, claws sharpened as if he was going to rip her to pieces. His right hand glowed from his ring, not even needing to say the word for what he wanted to do.

But Grail knew too well what he was doing, and it made her laugh coldly.

"Ha...anything for his lover. Such an idiot." she whispered to Ladybug as Chat Noir let out an angry cry.

Her eyes widening, Ladybug was thrown to the ground like a piece of clothing, weakly watching on in horror as she saw Chat Noir leap at Grail, his eyes full of hatred as he tried to lay a touch on her...but Grail swiftly took hold of his right hand, and to Ladybug's horror, the goddess twisted his arm down and a loud pop and crunch was heard throughout the night. Chat Noir screamed in pain as Grail then twisted his arm behind his back and crouched behind him as she brought him to his knees, grabbing his face and digging her nails into his cheeks, making him scrunched up as if she was playing with him.

Leaping to her feet, Ladybug panted fearfully as she ran at them, but Grail turned herself towards her, turning Chat Noir's head slightly to the right in a suggestive gesture, making Ladybug come to a stop, her hands shaking like leaves rattling in the wind, her eyes full of utter fear.

"P-Please...please don't hurt him, please!" she begged, her eyes slowly tearing up at the image before her. Grail smiled as she rubbed her head into Chat Noir's hair, making him growl in disgust.

"Awww, she actually loves you that much. It is pathetic to feel such a thing in your job, especially with your powers. But here's something to take into consideration..." she purred as she pressed herself up against Chat Noir's back, making his face turn red in embarrassment over being treated like this, while everyone watched on fearfully.

It was then Wonder Woman zipped back to them, sword and Lasso ready, but the sight of Chat Noir being held hostage by Grail made her stop in her tracks. Grail smiled.

"Glad you are here for this, Diana. Like I was saying, the blonde here was actually going to use his power to kill me. To actually turn me into nothing. Now if he was going to do that...would he do it again?" she questioned in a smug tone, making Ladybug tense even more as she saw Chat Noir's eyes going faint in their glow.

"Just think, the power to destroy everything he touches...wouldn't it be simple? Wipe your enemies off the face of this planet? You'd be deemed as saviours, legends even. Bring about peace a lot more quicker if you ask me, hmm young man?" Grail suggested, not noticing several police snipers taking up positions on the rooftops around them.

"Grail, that's enough. People have died, innocent people. If you desire peace, you should know that innocents should never be harmed." Wonder Woman pleaded, her eyes full of worry for all those that were around them. She stood close to Ladybug to offer her support, but all the while she locked eyes with Chat Noir, who was resisting the urge to scream at the tearing feeling in his right arm.

"Many are sacrificed to bring about peace. That's how this society was built upon, wasn't it? From the last two wars, many innocents had to die to bring about the so called peaceful world this city is now in, hmm? Innocents are mere obstacles, and this boy should see it so too." Grail replied as she nuzzled Chat Noir and licked his cheek, making him cringe in disgust while Ladybug clenched her fists in anger. How dare she touch him and handle him such a vile way! If she could, she'd beat her into oblivion for doing all this to him!

"I won't see things your way, you twisted bitch!" Chat Noir gotten out, breathing heavily from the scrunched up state of his face. Grail laughed as she curled one leg around his, making him shiver angrily while Ladybug was now resisting the urge of ripping her into nothingness.

"He's not being too cooperative, isn't he, Diana?" she asked smugly, getting ready to break his neck at any second.

"That's enough Grail! I beg of you, release him at once!" Wonder Woman cried, feeling sickened at watching the Apokaliptian hybrid handle the teen hero this way.

"Or what? It's not like you're in any position to bargain Diana." Grail sneered, "As far as I'm concerned, I hold all the cards here. As long as I have this little kitty in my hands, you'll not go anywhere near me for his sake. Same for your insect friend." she added, glancing over at Ladybug, "One wrong move, and this cat's nine lives are all..."

She didn't get any further than that for she was suddenly cut off by a loud bang and something slamming into her shoulder. It didn't penetrate her skin or do any damage, but she still felt the impact of what had been a gunshot from one of the police snipers on the rooftops above. Unbeknown to her, they had arrived on the scene courtesy of Roger, Sabrina's father, and had taken up strategic positions in order to try and take down Grail. The snipers had good aim so they weren't at risking of hitting Cat Noir, not while Grail wasn't even aware they were aiming at her. After the first shot had been fired, several other snipers shot at her. Bullets wouldn't do anything to a demigod like Grail, but they quickly did become a nuisance to her. It was like being pelted at by pebbles constantly over and over, something that is more annoying than harmful. Growling in annoyance, Grail shoved Cat Noir forwards, making the feline-themed superhero cry out in surprise.

"Let's see if your powers can bring this whole street down on your heads!" she cackled as Cat Noir hit the ground, his hand still with the Cataclysm energy he had tried to use on Grail.

The teen hero's eyes widened as the entire square around him began to decay, spreading from the single spot he'd touched to everywhere around. Ladybug and Wonder Woman stepped back as the ground seemed to disintegrate beneath them, threatening to swallow up anybody standing on it.

"Oh crap!" Cat Noir shrieked fearfully.

Grail smirked as the whole street floor began to crack into multiple pieces and collapsed in on itself. Chat Noir gasped as he began to sink down with the ground, yet he tried to leap forward in a desperate attempt to get to safety, but pains shot from his arm socket when he moved, making him skid back onto the ground as it all collapsed. His eyes wide, he took in the amount of damage his Cataclysm was causing, seeing cars and buildings were going down with him. Even worse, there were many innocent people too, all of them being sucked in like a whirlpool, and the thought of more innocents dying because of him tore deep into his heart.

Ladybug, however, bit her teeth and gripped her swords.

"You get after that cow, I'll handle this!" she told Wonder Woman, who nodded as she swiftly shot over towards Grail, hopping and leaping over the cars that were collapsing into the deep hole the Cataclysm caused. Screams of fear filled the Amazon's ears, but she could only hope what Ladybug was going to do was going to work. She leapt over after Grail, who had already left where she was last seen, storming through the crowd of civilians that were trying to escape.

"Okay, you can still do it. The Ladyblades being used means it can still work." Ladybug said to herself as she put the two swords together and tossed them upwards.

"MIRACULOUS LADYBUG!" she yelled, watching on with hopeful blue eyes as the blades exploded into a pink, orb like cloud. She could now only watch as the cloud zipped all across the night sky, going all over the place where there had been damage from the fight.

Wonder Woman had ploughed into Grail from behind as this was going on, latching hold of her belt and tossing her backwards, sending her tearing across the ground right towards Alya and Nina, the former of whom was filming the whole thing on her phone.

"OhmygoshIcantbelievethisNino!" she squeaked loudly as she stumbled back into her boyfriend before Grail could even touch them.

"Alya, you know what happens to civilians in these situations!" he yelled as he pulled her farther away from Grail, who groaned as she came to a stop.

Opening her eyes, Grail frowned as she caught sight of the pink clouds zipping back towards the collapsing street, undoing the damage that had been done to the Louvre, and was already flying right across the collapsing buildings, putting them back in place as if they were dollhouses on the shelf of a shop. She stood up and watched in fascination as the street, piece by piece, the people falling down with it being safely put back on the ground without any harm done to them. Soon enough, the sinking street was put back together, as if a path of stones were cleared and every little piece that had been damaged was returned to normal. And this made Grail smirk.

"The power of life and death work in so many different ways, but not like this. Father will be pleased..." Grail stated pleasantly as she lifted her elbow to block an incoming attack from Wonder Woman's sword, which clashed brightly against the arm of the half goddess, who then drove her knee into Wonder Woman's gut hard enough to send her flying feet in the air, before firing off another blast of Omega Beams from her eyes, sending the Amazon flying all across the city.

Chat Noir gasped in agony as he landed on his back after the cloud of the Miraculous Ladybug zoomed over him, his arm and socket sending waves of pain right through him. The blonde haired teen panted loudly as he tried to sit up, only to soon be joined by Ladybug, who wrapped an arm around her boyfriend to give him help.

"A-Are you alright? What did she do to you?" She asked fearfully, remembering what Grail just did to him, feeling another part of her sickened over what her boyfriend was put through.

"I...I...feel sick. Really sick!" Chat Noir groaned as he shot a glare at Grail, who had just shot Wonder Woman with her Omega Beams. He clenched a fist as he saw her smirking, wanting to have another round with her after what she just did, but a frightened gasp and grip from Ladybug stopped him from going any closer.

"No, don't, please!" she cried, not wanting to see him getting ripped to small pieces by the demigod, who laughed as she took this in, with Alya and Nino trying to get away from her with their eyes wide.

"Oh look at you all. Even as the end is near, you cling to love. Such a distracting feeling. Throw it aside and focus on your powers to kill your enemies if you want love to last at all." she taunted, looking right at Ladybug and Chat Noir as she pulled out her Father Box. Pressing one of the buttons, her hair blew forward as a Boom Tube opened behind her, shocking those around her.

"It's been fun. We will meet again, and I'll be coming for those Miraculouses of yours." Grail said in a smug voice as she turned away from the two teenagers. Chat Noir tried to pull free from Ladybug.

"YOU AREN'T GOING ANYWHERE, YOU HEAR ME!" he roared in utter anger, shocking Ladybug at how much a soft voice like his could carry such ferocity.

All they gotten was a laugh from the goddess as she stepped inside the Boom Tube, which vanished in just a second, leaving only a confused lot of civilians and a really angry blond teenager, who felt like roaring his mouth off.

"That bitch, I'll get her, I'll tear her apart!" he snarled as he tried to get loose from Ladybug, who gotten round to him, her face full of worry.

"A-Chat, you have to calm down, please!" she begged, gripping hold of his left hand to get him back in reality. He still had his eyes trained on where Grail just vanished from, narrowing dangerously.

"But she got away, what she did to everyone...to...to you...she's not gonna get away with it!" he said through more panting, his chest heaving in and out enough to look like the leather of his suit was going to tear. He looked away from his lover, his eyes closing to hide his shame yet his legs shook from all the frustration going through him.

Ladybug took hold of his chin and smoothed his cheek with love and care. Even as she stood there with her hair loose and her cuts healing up, she put all of her focus on him. When his eyes opened, she spoke to him in a quieter tone.

"I'm fine...we undid most of the damage, you need to calm down, you...you'll be hurting yourself even more."

"But what she did to you...I...I wasn't there, I should've...I don't want to lose you...not you of all people." Chat Noir replied as he tried to fight off more tears, feeling shame and anger go through him again.

Ladybug took this in with a sympathetic gaze. She could understand her boyfriend's rage. She had felt just as mad when Grail had been mishandling her boyfriend earlier. It was one of the side effects of love, the sight of one's partner in danger is enough to drive the other into blind rage and cause them to lose sight of what was important and cause them to act too irrationally. If they had any hope of defeating Grail, they couldn't let anger drive them like this. She embraced the feline hero tenderly to comfort him.

"I don't wanna lose you either." she said softly, "But we can't keep worrying about ourselves, not when we're in for the fight of our lives. Next time we face Grail, we will make sure that she doesn't hurt anybody again."

Cat Noir let out a long, heavy sigh. He sounded more tired than anything now. All his anger had dissipated. He felt only shame and regret at his outburst. But he also felt warm and content being in the arms of his beloved and hearing her soft, gentle voice again. He looked at her with a soft smile.

"We'll get her next time M'Lady. And next time, I won't let myself get so angry." he swore.

"Very wise of you Cat Noir." Wonder Woman complimented, "A true warrior doesn't let anger get in the way of the battle. But you can't fight Grail again in your current state."

"Yeah, this..." Cat Noir winced as he felt his dislocated arm, "...arm is gonna slow me down. Ugh, man did she get me good! Ow! Think any of you can pop it back into place?" he asked.

Ladybug looked incredulous, wondering if Cat Noir was joking. Wonder Woman knew he wasn't and stood behind him so she could do it. She grabbed hold of Cat Noir's arm with one hand and placed her other hand just behind his shoulder. Ladybug clenched her fists in worry, cringing as she knew what was going to happen. Cat Noir found himself shaking slightly too, already anticipating how much this was going to hurt. He was about to feel for himself how strong the Amazon really was.

"Are you ready? This is going to hurt real bad young man." Wonder Woman said worriedly.

"If it'll get my arm back in place, I'll take it!" Cat Noir cried, "I'm ready."

Without hesitating, Wonder Woman pulled back hard on the leather-clad boy's arm, pushing into his shoulder at the same time. There was a sickening crunch sound as the bones knitted back into Noir let out a scream loud enough to cause more damage to his surroundings than his own Cataclysm abilities. Wonder Woman winced for the scream had been right next to her and Ladybug collapsed onto the floor in a faint, unable to take this anymore. Watching this had made her feel nauseous and unable to stand much longer. Any nearby citizens that had been watching also cringed in disgust, feeling Cat Noir's pain. Both Cat and Wonder Woman swore they even heard somebody puke in response. The French teen didn't blame that person, he felt like he wanted to barf too. Now that was done, Cat Noir massaged his shoulder as he waited for the pain in his arm to subside. Wonder Woman patted him on the back with an apologetic glance on her face.

"I'm sorry but there was no other way." she said grimly.

"Better to have it back in than hanging out." Cat Noir muttered.

He pondered over to Ladybug and helped her get back to her feet. Ladybug rubbed her head softly, her face turning back from green to its normal colour.

"Ooooh, that was horrible! I hope I never see that again!" she croaked queasily.

"Hope I never get my arms torn out again, my love." Chat Noir said in an agreeable tone, feeling the sickness in him dying down as his arm's muscles all got back into place.

Helping up his girlfriend, his ears raised upon hearing a familiar bleeping.

"Oh no, we're about to transform!" he groaned as he saw his ring's lights flickering.

"We can't rest for too long, we have to get after Grail and get the book back." Ladybug said in a frustrated tone as she rubbed her ears.

"Let's get back to your friend's place, it's our only option." Wonder Woman suggested as she wrapped her arms around the two young heroes from behind, choosing to fly back to Master Fu's being the more faster way. Just before they could go though, Alya came running up to them with Nino following closely.

"Ladybug, are...are you alright? Why's Wonder Woman here, I mean, what's going on?" she asked in a slightly nervous voice, her phone still recording as she spoke to the tired bluenette.

"All you need to know is that you all have to stay inside your homes and stay safe." Wonder Woman said firmly, knowing well that Ladybug and Chat Noir weren't in a good mood.

"You mean she could still be here?" Alya then asked the Amazon, looking at her right in the eye to get an answer in them.

"I hate to say this but a lot of people got killed, and she handed your asses to ya. Shouldn't you call in some big muscles or something?" Nino questioned in a more serious tone, scratching his hair after taking his hat off to wave some air at himself.

Before Wonder Woman could reply, Ladybug gotten out of her grip and took hold of Alya by her shoulders, her eyes full of fear, having let Nino's words sink into her about what had happened. People have died, and Alya was close to being one of them, and she couldn't bear to lose her best friend, not like Chloe or Gabriel or in any gruesome death.

"Alya, you have to go home. The next time something like this happens, just stay home. I don't want you, Nino, or anyone else dead, so for once just think of your family and friends, please?" she begged almost exhaustingly, trying hard to not yell it out to the girl, who took this in for a moment.

It wasn't easy seeing Ladybug being scared, but she could understand why, given all that happened a few weeks ago when Riddler captured her and the rest of her friends, it all ended very badly for Chloe. She had to admit she wasn't as up to getting in on the action lately, but seeing Ladybug was difficult for her to ignore.

Alya put her phone down and stopped the record button, giving the bluenette a nod.

"Alright, I will. We all will. But when you find that creepy woman, give her a kick in the face for me and all of Paris." she suggested, a hint of a smirk coming up on her.

"Mark my words young lady, we will catch Grail and put a stop to whatever she's plotting." Wonder Woman swore, "I vow to keep you all safe from her, both as an Amazon and as a hero to the people."

Alya grinned happily, feeling inspired by Wonder Woman's words. This was a woman who didn't let anything bring her down no matter what, and it was quite amazing to see something like this up close. Maybe when this whole mess was over, she'd see if the Amazon Princess would be willing to give an exclusive interview to the Ladyblog. She waved the heroes off as Wonder Woman flew into the sky, carrying Ladybug and Cat Noir with her so they could rest and recuperate back at Master Fu's spa.

Wonder Woman knew that this recuperation period would have to be short. Grail was still at large, and she had a feeling she was going to strike again. She would remain vigilant so that they would be ready for her. And the next time they fought, she wouldn't let her get away again...

* * *

 _ **Our heroes have fought valiantly but Grail is ultimately too much for them. She's escaped but something tells me she won't be gone for long. When will she make her next move? And will our heroes stop her the next time they fight? We'll have to wait and see for next time...**_


	7. Chapter 6: Downtime

_Chapter 6: Downtime_

Flying like this certainly gave them quite a majestic view of Paris at night, but it did little to take their minds off the battle they were thrashed in, and they cringed whenever they caught a look of some gruesome remains of the civilians who were killed in the fight. Pangs of guilt and anger ran through the hearts of Ladybug and Chat Noir as they saw all this, while Wonder Woman could feel a heat of anger come over her heart, angry more at herself for failing to get the fight far from Paris. She just hoped Grail hadn't gone anywhere populated where more innocents were put at risk.

It wasn't long until they finally reached Master Fu's home, flying onto the balcony and quickly getting inside before anyone could see them. The trio relaxed their bodies as they went downstairs to find Master Fu, Wonder Woman's boots clanking heavily against the wooden floors. Chat Noir smiled as he took in the state of the place, seeing the damage was undone.

"Looks like your cleaning trick worked, Marinette. Saves Master Fu any trouble of calling in workers." he noted lightly, only for his girlfriend to sadly look away, her hair hanging close to her shoulders.

"Yeah, if only my trick could bring back the dead. All of those people that died...just how can that cow do that!? Are there really more people like that out there, Diana!?" she asked in deep frustration as she pictured Grail in her mind grinning monstrously as she stood over a pile of a thousand corpses.

Wonder Woman sighed sadly as they reached the door that would take them to the living room of the home.

"There always is, Marinette. That's why we fight the good fight, to stop them. And I promise you both, after tonight, Grail will be taken in. One less lunatic for the world to worry about." she said sternly, not wanting to see anymore innocent blood being splattered all over the place.

Opening the door, they found the exhausted form of Master Fu resting in his chair, panting tiredly as Wayzz wrapped a sheet around his old body while Nooroo finished putting a lid on a tin that was sitting on the arm of the chair. The butterfly Kwami gasped as he caught sight of Ladybug and Chat Noir coming over to them, their magical glow zigzagging over their bodies, releasing their two Kwamis from their Miraculouses and leaving Marinette and Adrien standing there, the bluenette's hair still loose from the beating she had from Grail.

"Adrien, Marinette! My goodness, are you both alright!?" Nooroo squeaked as he flew over to them both and took hold of Adrien's hand with a worried look.

"Still alive, that's something." Marinette said with a small smile.

"Yeah, aside from getting our butts handed to us." Adrien groaned as he rubbed his arm, as it still ached now and then from being put back in place.

"No worries for us then, butterdude?" Plagg groaned with a frown as he and Tikki floated over to Nooroo.

"That devil packed a punch harder than anything else I've had in my face." he added as he rubbed his face.

"Nevermimd us, what about Master Fu?" Tikki asked in a worried tone as she floated towards the old man with Wonder Woman following closely.

"Yes, what she did to him could've killed him, or left him in a crippled state." Wonder Woman said with a concerned look in her eyes as they all joined Master Fu's side. The old Chinese man made a small smile as he lifted up an assuring hand, looking at his friends tiredly.

"I've had worse in my long years, believe me." he said lightly, only for Adrien to shake his head as he gave him a frown.

"You shouldn't take this as a joke. She could've torn you apart." he reasoned in a worried tone, the events of the morning now obviously gone from his mind.  
Master Fu looked surprised at Adrien's concern but again raised his hand out of assurance.

"My wellbeing doesn't matter. What does matter is if you have the book. Do you have it?" he pressed on with a question of his own, making Marinette and Adrien give each other a nervous glance. Before either of them spoke though, Wonder Woman beat them to it.

"I'm afraid Grail still has it, sir. It's my fault this has happened but I promise you we will do our hardest to get it back." the Amazon said firmly, getting a frown from Master Fu as he took this in. Worry presses through his head and he looked at Wonder Woman with eyes full of questions.

"She still has it? Tell me, princess, why does she desire the book? I doubt she has it for good intentions." he asked with an observation, only for Wonder Woman to pinch her nose in frustration.

"Well from her perspective, it is for good intentions. Listen, you know who Darkseid is, yes?" the Amazon asked. Just as she gotten a nod from him, Marinette stepped in.

"Look, to cut a long story short, he got his powers drained, he's been turned into a baby, and Grail was killing gods to restore his powers. She probably thinks the Miraculouses might help get him back to normal." she said, not wanting to hear the details again at a time like this.

Master Fu looked alarmed as he took this in, making him look away in thought, though Wayzz sat by his side.

"But she can't figure it all out that quickly, can she?" he asked with a worried edge to his often calm voice.

"After all we've heard about her, Wayzz, and what she did to us, it's likely she'll have it figured out in just half an hour." Tikki said bitterly, a frown of her own on her little face.

Wonder Woman stood up from where she was and took Marinette and Adrien gently by the shoulders, walking them away from Master Fu. "Listen, you both get Tikki and Plagg recharged and call your parents, Marinette. It's likely we'll be out all night. While you do that I'll try to get Master Fu to give me the full details." she suggested in a soft tone as she took them towards the one of the spare rooms.

"Good idea Diana." Marinette agreed, "I don't want my parents worrying over me all night."

Adrien's face just fell further than it already had. Too late Wonder Woman had realized that she had accidentally said the wrong thing to the blonde boy. She looked away guiltily, hating the fact that she was only making Adrien feel worse in this situation. It was too soon for her to start bringing up parents in front of someone who no longer had any.

"Oh yes, you don't have parents anymore...I'm sorry Adrien." the Amazon said apologetically.

"No, it's fine Diana. You didn't mean anything wrong." Adrien insisted, not wanting Wonder Woman to start feeling bad as well, "I'm still in that process of acknowledging the fact I have no parents anymore. I could still give any of my friends a call in case they're worried about me."

Wonder Woman felt a little better knowing that she hadn't offended Adrien in anyway. At least he still had anybody to call in this situation.

"I'll leave you two to make your calls and recharge your Kwami." the Spirit of Truth said, "I'll see you both later after I've talked with Master Fu."

With nothing more to say, she left the room to leave the French teens to do what they needed. As she left, she headed back towards Master Fu with a heavy sigh escaping her lips. She ran a hand over her temple, feeling the tiredness that often came after a battle come over her. She wouldn't rest long, but she was still ready to wind down for a minute or two before going after Grail again.

"Oh Hera help us stop that wench..." she murmured to herself as she thought back to what had happened tonight.

She reentered the room, seeing Nooroo and Wayzz looking over Master Fu to see if he was still OK. The old Miraculous Keeper looked over at Wonder Woman with a grim look in his ancient orbs. He had a feeling that this talk wasn't going to be pleasant.

"I assume you wish to talk with me Spirit of Truth." he said slowly, his tone of voice matter-of-fact as if he was just stating facts rather than assuming.

"Yes Master Fu." Wonder Woman confirmed, sitting down beside him, "I need the full details on these Miraculouses and the book about them. I understand why the book is important and that Grail having hold of it is bad for us but what exactly does the book entail and just how powerful are these Miraculouses?"

"I assume from your history with Tikki that you are aware she is the Kwami of life, yes?" Master Fu inquired with a question of his own, getting a nod from the Amazon.

"Conceived from the Life Entity itself at the very beginning of time, from what she told me. Is that detail recorded in that book of yours?" she asked sternly, getting a grim sigh from the old Chinese man.

"Sadly so. Every detail of every Miraculous and Kwami is in that book, including those that are still lost in the world. Not as powerful as Tikki and Plagg, but each has the power of the many pantheons of this world. This Grail, Marinette mentioned her father is the devil of Apokalips himself and she's been trying to restore him to power. Wherever she is, you have to get the book back at all costs, before she finds out every detail about the Ladybug and Chat Noir Miraculouses."

Wonder Woman took this in and cast a worried glance over to the room she left Marinette and Adrien in.

"If it's those two Miraculouses they'll seek, perhaps it's best to leave them here where they'll be safe." she suggested, only for a small smile to come over Master Fu's face.

"Don't worry. I'll be sure to cloak their Miraculouses for when they'll recharge. You'll need all the help you can get, and it's their business now as much as yours. And I'm sure with you, they'll be safe." he assured softly, his eyes full of confidence in what he was saying.

"But where will you find this demon? She could be on the other side of the world now." Wayzz then asked Wonder Woman, who gave the green Kwami a brighter look as she pulled out her tracer.

"Just need to give this a moment to get its systems back online. Took a small hit during the fight, but I'm sure it will lead me straight to her." she said as she placed the tracer on the nearest table.

"Well let's hope you'll be fast enough to stop her, princess of Themyscira. While the Ladybug and Chat Noir sections of the book are well hidden, someone like Darkseid can find them quicker than most." the green Kwami replied, his voice still full of worry.

"It's okay, if Darkseid is still in the form of a child, his attention span will be short given he's still hellbent on killing Steppenwolf." Wonder Woman replied as she took hold of the tinned ointment that was by Master Fu's side, looking at it in fascination.

"Even so, what if Grail could use the power for herself? She could come for any one of us given our ties to the Life Entity and the other emotional deities. It could give her absolute dominance over the universe and onto the next planes of reality if she could." Nooroo then added, fear in his eyes at the thought of being used for evil again.

Wonder Woman brought her eyes away from the ointment and frowned. That kind of control with all the Miraculouses could bring about a lot of trouble and goodness knows if Grail took control of the Lantern Corps. That would increase Apokalips' grip over all the universe. It'd be a force of fire and darkness that could leak onto other universes if either Grail or Darkseid sought out the Miraculouses.

"All the more reason to get the tracer working." came the Amazon's stern reply as she took hold of the tracer in her other hand, pressing the command button to turn it on, only for it to buzz and crackle. Master Fu frowned as he looked at it.

"Perhaps it needs a better signal. If you are trying to connect it to that Watchtower of yours, it's best you go to the roof. Might get yourself a quicker chance of picking up the signal." he suggested in a wise voice, getting a grateful smile off of the Amazon.

"That could do it. I'll try to keep low, don't need anyone seeing an Amazon on your roof. Oh and mind if I ask, how old are you actually? Grail could've killed you with how she threw you to the floor, yet you seem to be coping well." she then asked after taking note of his endurance against the grey skinned hybrid.

Master Fu fought off a groan as he rubbed his back.

"Old enough to see through two World Wars. I'm one hundred and eighty six to be accurate. Wish I looked as young as you, dear princess." he said lightly, getting a giggle out of Wonder Woman as she kept hold of the tinned ointment.

"Don't be so hard on yourself. You look as young as sixty five if you ask me." she said softly with a gentle look that told Master Fu she was being genuine, which left him a little shy.

"Well, um, never thought a princess could be that nice. I'm flattered, Spirit of Truth." he said shyly.

Giving him a comforting look, Wonder Woman headed back upstairs to climb to the rooftop in order to get a better signal to the Watchtower, just hoping against all the negatives that Grail hadn't gotten far from her and didn't look through the book yet.

* * *

Meanwhile, the very hybrid Wonder Woman was hoping to find had returned back to the catacombs to inform her father on what had happened. Grail walked briskly back to where Darkseid was hiding, her posture and walking pace quick but confident as if she'd had a really good time tonight and was excited to tell everybody about it. Everything about her radiated confidence from her smug smile to the casual nature of her walking. Tonight had been eventful, moreso than she'd expected, but fun in her eyes from getting to fight Wonder Woman to slaughtering some of the humans populating the city and especially getting to make a fool out of Paris's heroes. What was so Miraculous about those jokers aside from their powers? As far as Grail was concerned, nothing. The Justice League had put up a better battle against her when they'd first met, and she'd managed to defeat them single-handedly! She was looking forward to fighting them again and hopefully, she'd have their heads on a pike to present to Darkseid along with Wonder Woman's.

As she thought about the battle tonight, Grail took out the Book of the Miraculous and glanced at the front cover with interest. Whatever power those teens had, this book had to have all the secrets behind it.

"They were keen to get this back from me. Good to know that taking it wasn't a waste of time." she purred, "I can't wait to see what secrets lie in this book..."

She looked up from the book and turned a corner. There was a tunnel ahead leading to Darkseid's lair. The hybrid went through it and found herself once again in the presence of her father, the dark god-turned-child that she'd been trying to restore since the war had ended. Grail noticed that Darkseid was standing in his trademark stance with his back straight, his chest puffed out and his hands behind his back. Despite being a child, he was clearly exhibiting some of his old habits again as he grew older. Soon it would feel as if this strange turnout had never happened to him at all. Darkseid was facing the wall, his back to Grail, but he seemed to realize she had come back. He stood still, not turning around as Grail entered his lair.

"You're back." he acknowledged, sounding more like he was stating facts than being happy to see her, "I trust tonight was productive?"

"That and more father." Grail confirmed, "I actually met that wench from Themiscyra again! You have no idea how exhilarating it was to fight against Wonder Woman again! And I even got to battle the heroes of this city too!" she exclaimed gleefully.

"Did you kill her?" Darkseid asked.

"No. I didn't get to kill the Parisian heroes either. I was forced to flee before the tides turned against me." Grail muttered, disappointed to admit this.

The child-sized Darkseid turned around sharply, his blood-red eyes crackling with energy. His face was unreadable, but Grail could tell just from the crackle in his eyes that he wasn't happy. Darkseid was the sort of person who expressed anger easily and often without having to show it on his face.

"So do tell me how in anyway tonight was productive when you failed to kill Wonder Woman and this city's heroes?" the Apokaliptian said coldly.

"Simple father. I was able to seize a book that should give us the answers to this city's high energy levels and the powers its protectors possess." the Apokaliptian/Amazon hybrid explained, showing Darkseid the book, "I haven't read it yet because I wanted to bring it to you father. Maybe we can read it together and see what secrets we may find inside."

Darkseid pursed his lips with interest. Anything that had information regarding great power was always an interest to him.

"I'm intrigued...let us see this book my daughter." he commanded.

Without thinking twice, Grail came over to him and sat down before the grey skinned child, who fully turned to look at the book she was holding. His eyes lowered their glow as he took in the book's state.

"Very old from the looks of it. Whatever secrets it has must be valuable, probably show us to what Earth has to offer." he stated as he stood by Grail's side, his gaze almost piercing as he wanted to look through the book.

Grail could almost feel the intensity of his stare, as if he was shooting an Omega Beam through her, and she didn't want to end up on the other end of those beams. Easing her nerves, she opened it, coming to the first page that was a big wall of text from Chinese. Grail smiled.

"Ah, written in another language. Good thing I learnt well to translate them during my childhood." she said in a pleased tone, making Darkseid's eyebrows raise in interest.

"You learned the many languages these people speak in, dear daughter?" he asked, deeply interested in what else his daughter must've learnt when she was so young. Giving him a proud smile, Grail spoke.

"You have to understand nearly everything you'll be up against if you want to make the most powerful weapon. This text is ancient but easy for me." she said with a huge amount of pride in her voice. Her Amazon mother hadn't spent all this time educating her on things like this for nothing after all.

"Then do read, daughter. Let's see how easy it is for you." a small smile tugged at Darkseid's lips as he said this.

Without hesitation, Grail read through it to him.

"Whoever reads this book, let it be aware what you are finding out is key to helping hold world peace and balance of life and death. Prior to making this, my monastery sought to claim the powers of all the Miraculouses combined but resulted in nothing but their own deaths, except for me. This book is not yet completed until I have all knowledge of where else and what others are left to find. Dated in eighteen thirty two." Grail read out as she turned another page, slightly interested in how exactly this all came about for Master Fu if he was the one who had been writing this.

Turning the page, they came across a two page spread of artwork that featured a white skinned creature curled up in the shape similar to that of a baby, with several colours of light ranging from green to red, to orange, yellow, purple, blue and indigo shooting from it. Darkseid withheld a gasp, recognising this creature but not wanting to interrupt Grail from what she could translate.

"For many, it was said a being of light was placed down from the ether and began to grow life as how it's own creator saw fit, giving birth to the many deities of forces, emotions, magic, and energies that brought this universe to life. The being of light was sometimes known as Gaia in other descriptions, forming the Earth as it's own shell to begin life. In doing so, it knew itself couldn't handle the task of pushing life forward alone, so from it's very own heart was born creatures of intense power, yet small enough to fit in the palm of a hand. These were known as Kwamis."

Grail frowned mostly out of interest, remembering how the many things she learned in her life was tied closely to what this book was showing her, like the mention of Gaia, and the colours of the emotional spectrum coming from the creature. Darkseid felt his insides tighten as a small amount of...hope came over him. Hope that his time as a child would soon be over. Keeping his calm stance, he cleared his throat.

"Would you turn the page please?" he calmly demanded, getting a nod from his daughter as she turned it over.

This time there was another two page spread of many small Kwamis spiralling away from the white creature, many of them holding different expressions to them, the likes of Tikki smiling brightly, the calmness and wisdom was well brought to Wayzz's face in the drawing, and there were plenty of others, some resembling a fox, bee, pig, dragon, snake, dog, and many other creatures greatly resembling those that populated the Earth.

"Rather odd looking creatures. I assume these are the Kwamis the previous page had said?" Darkseid then spoke after taking in the colourful creatures, his eyes full of disgust at seeing something so bright and innocent.

"Let's see...each Kwami represents many emotions, elements and symbols of every living being and power that exists in the universe. Trixx was made to help master the art of deception and illusion. Pollen was created to bring authority and power to those that were lost in limbo. Wayzz to carry wisdom through the many centuries. And Nooroo to bring happiness and love to the young. There were countless made from the creature of light. But none more so than Tikki and Plagg, the Yin and Yang of the Kwamis, the first and last one to be created from the creature of life."

Grail frowned as she read this, taking notice of Tikki being the first of the Kwamis leading them all out into the dark but couldn't see the form of Plagg anywhere, not even looking right at the life Entity was there any sign of Kwami that fitted the description of Yin and Yang.

"Very interesting. To think all of these creatures contain such amount of power that represents the many things of this universe. They could be useful in restoring me back to full power." Darkseid said with a deep amount of interest in his voice.

"Yes. Question is where would this Tikki and Plagg be? Then again, that Tikki looks very similar to the small girl with blue hair I beaten on the surface." Grail added as she looked through the page up and down to take in the Kwamis.

"Blue-haired girl...and you say this "Tikki" resembles her? Then this girl may have that Kwami in her possession." Darkseid reasoned, "What was she like when you battled her Grail?"

"Scrawny. She's the kind of human with a body that looks as if you could snap it in two." Grail explained, "If anybody had told me she was this city's hero, I would've laughed at them. But she showed that she wasn't as weak as she looked. True she was no match for me but she had a pair of blades that she wielded well and this sort of "healing wave" ability. All she did was say two words, Miraculous Ladybug, and then everything that was damaged and broken was repaired. It was quite spectacular to watch."

Darkseid put a finger to his lips in thought. Imagine having that kind of ability. Any damages his city or armies received, he could use that power to fix them up and have them as good as new again, making any attacks from his enemies worthless! Every time they thought they'd dealt him a good blow, he'd just fix everything with this power. It could potentially make him more unstoppable than he already was!

"That power could be useful to Apokalips and those who serve me..." he thought aloud, more to himself than anybody. He came out of his thoughts as he looked at Grail again, "What about the Yang to this Yin? This "Plagg"?"

"I imagine that the blonde-haired boy who was with that girl has him." Grail thought, "Why else would he have the ability to destroy while she has the ability to restore? He was armed with a baton that could decay whatever he touched with it and when he summoned that ability to his hand, he nearly brought the whole street down when I knocked him onto the ground! The girl fixed all the damage sadly but it was most interesting to watch that single touch from the boy nearly destroy a whole street. Imagine if we had that ability father..."

"Yes..." Darkseid agreed, smiling with excitement, "We could cause any opposing forces to decay and fall to pieces. If we get those Kwamis and their powers, my control will be absolute! Nobody will ever dare to stand against mighty Darkseid again!"

Grail looked a little unsure at his words, so she placed a firm hand in his shoulder and gave him a look that a mother would give her child.

"Such power doesn't need to be used at all, father, unless we just use it once as a demonstration. The humans only had to use two nuclear bombs twice to make some of their enemies rethink their battle plans." she suggested, not liking how eager he was at wanting to run in firing all canisters.

"I can only think of one person to use for such a demonstration, my dear. Still, I am interested in what exactly would happen should this Yin and Yang be combined. Utter superiority? Perhaps control over life and death itself?" Darkseid then suggested in a more calm tone, looking to the book again.

Thanking whatever power out there that put some sense back into Darkseid, Grail looked to the book again and flipped through the pages.

"Just give me a moment, father. I doubt they'd put all the details on the very first page, as most humans do" she said in deep thoughtful as she tried to find an image of Tikki in the book.

"How exactly do these Kwamis power the children you fought, my daughter? There has to be a device of sorts that allows them these abilities." Darkseid added as he waited for his daughter to find the pages they needed to get their information from.

"The boy's power came from a ring he was wearing, so that slims it down. I have to admit, he was more than willing to kill me when he saw me beating down his lover. If he had a proper brain cell, he'd use the power to destroy any of his country's enemies. Such power would grant everyone the peace they desire, wouldn't dare say anything against him. Wouldn't you say, father?" Grail explained as she started flipping from the other end of the book, having not found one page that featured Tikki.

"Yes, but as I said, just one or few demonstrations of such power would be enough to grant control over all beings. If all living things never discovered fires they wouldn't have had these questions being thrown at them. Funny how the poor populace view fire as hope yet the higher ups view it as a symbol of fear." Darkseid replied with another smile tugging at his lips, finding it funny how humanity had such a spectrum of views on one thing.

Grail tried to ignore what he said as another heat of frustration went through her, seeing she still didn't get it through to him over what was truly needed for peace, living among the ordinary and the poor seemed like it was all for nothing. So much for trying to give him a more balanced view.

Getting back to the moment, Grail groaned as she finished flipping through ever page and not found another image of Tikki.

"Perhaps the old man took the pages out. I might have to pay him another visit" she said with a sigh as she began to stand up, only for Darkseid to get hold of her arm, his hold strong enough to nearly make her cry in agony. Glaring at him, Grail did her best not to let her anger rise.

"What? What is it, father?" she could only get out, fighting off the urge of yelling at him.

A smile came over the boy's face as he pulled Grail to his side, picking up the book with his other hand and held it open.

"As they often say, Grail, the thing you are looking for is hiding in plain sight." he said rather smugly as his eyes fired out a small blast of Omega Beams that heated through the thin corner of a page. To Grail's own shock, the corner peeled open to reveal an entirely hidden page, which fully opened as Darkseid finished his blast, placing the book back out on the floor for them to look at.

Taking in the two pages, Grail saw Tikki on one side and Plagg on the other, while in the centre of the joint was a figure in plain white skin with gold and purple markings over their bodies, their eyes glowing yellow. Almost like how Joker was when he used them both.

"I...I am sorry, father." Grail said, embarrassed over not seeing what he saw. Darkseid just tutted in response.

"Even a tiny fold in the corner can be well hidden even from the eyes of gods. No need to apologise, my daughter. Do read it." he then ordered, letting go of Grail to let her continue what she had just been doing.

Biting her teeth together, Grail took a seat again and read through the Chinese text.

"Okay, it says that the Miraculouses take many different forms depending on the lifestyle of the user or the many uses that people have to help them blend in. On her own, Tikki has the power to undo psychical damage aside from fatal injuries, while Plagg has the power to destroy anything his power touches. Combined together and well use to their powers, the user has unopposed power over life and death, able to resurrect the ancient dead, bring long dead stars back to life, and spread a wave of death on an unlimited scale, along with brief access to the very skin of reality and go onto the next plane of reality...father, are you hearing me? You do know what this means?"

Darkseid grinned with dark interest, his eyes twinkling gleefully. It was the widest Grail had seen him smile in a long time.

"It means that this power could fully restore me to my former self...and make me unstoppable!" he declared, his voice filled with excitement, "Not even my treacherous son Orion or any of those fools from New Genesis will dare stand in my way again! With that kind of power, the world will finally realize that Darkseid IS!"

Grail cringed as his voice bellowed throughout the whole catacombs and was almost scared of the whole street collapsing on top of them. Goodness he sure had elements of a child all there in him! It made her wish he was left as an adult a few years ago.

Standing up, she looked down at him and took hold of his hand to ease his excited attitude.

"Father, it's not just that. Think of the answers you could get from this, everything you could learn, the many different plains you can go, the people you could talk to. This could be our answer for peace over the universe, all in the two Kwamis. We have to read more of this, father!" she tried to explain, only for Darkseid to pull his hand free from her.

"Grail, I do not wish to be stuck in this body any longer! You promised me that you would restore me to all my power and if the Kwamis are above us in that city, I need them now! Awaken the Parademons that we have, for I will bring the city crumbling to its knees! Go now, Grail!" he ordered, hardly containing his excitement at getting his hands on Tikki and Plagg, walking towards the other end of the room to arm himself.

Grail stared at him in disbelief and disgust, but knew it was best not to say anything, not wanting to get a blast of Omega Beams in her face.

"I'll do just that for you father." she replied, knowing that was the best response she could give to the pint-sized Apokaliptian.

Grail turned to leave the room and carry out Darkseid's order, leaving her father to continue basking in his own sadistic delight as he pictured himself being restored to full strength and bringing Earth to its knees. As she left, she could feel something burning inside of her but unlike her father, it was not excitement or joy of any kind. It was anger and disappointment. She was so full of it that she had to physically restrain herself from firing her Omega Beams into the ceiling above. But Grail couldn't keep the feeling of energy crackling in her eyes from coming. Not wanting to hold it in any longer, Grail angrily punched one of the walls in frustration, leaving a huge fist-sized imprint and several cracks in it. To her, it felt like channelling all her anger into a single punch, said punch releasing all that anger making her feel less rage-filled.

"All that time spent acting more like his mother than his daughter...trying to convince him that there are better ways of creating a more prosperous universe...all for NOTHING!" she growled, "A total waste of time! Restoring him to infant state has only made him worse! I suppose it's time to face the facts and accept that there is no changing my father after all..."

She let out a heavy sigh as she headed on ahead to awaken the Parademons. If Darkseid truly was beyond redemption, then maybe she would have to do something about him...

* * *

Meanwhile, Marinette had quickly dialled in her parent's number and placed the phone against her ear before it had even started ringing. She waited impatiently for an answer as the phone connected, sighing with relief when her call was answered and she was greeted with the sound of Sabine's voice.

"Hello?"

"Mom! Are you and dad OK?!" Marinette frantically babbled, "Please tell me everything's fine!"

"We're OK sweetheart." Sabine replied, "Tom and I both safe at home. Where are you? We were getting worried about you! You didn't get caught up in that battle outside did you?!"

Marinette couldn't have felt more relieved to hear from her parents if she wanted to. At least tonight still had some good things to give her despite Grail's escape with the book earlier. It was also one aspect from her nightmare that thankfully wasn't coming true. Pleased that they were OK, Marinette replied.

"No mom, I'm safe and sound too. I'm currently staying with Adrien." she answered, "We weren't anywhere near that fight."

That was a lie of course and she hated having to lie to her parents, but the last thing she wanted was to give them something to worry about. It was one of the downsides of having a secret identity, the need to lie and keep secrets from friends and loved ones for their sake.

"Me and him just came by to see Master Fu, Adrien gotten a call from him and was told he gotten hurt. We had to make sure if he was alright." Marinette explained, telling a half truth to her mother.

"Oh goodness, is he okay? Does he need an ambulance?" Sabine's voice asked from the other end.

"Anything we can do to help?" came Tom's voice in the background.

Marinette smiled at their concern, glad to be reminded of how good hearted her parents were.

"Aside from a few bruises, he might be alright. Me and Adrien are just making sure he's well relaxed for the night. Adrien might walk me back when we're done, but it might be a little late." she informed them, hoping they would buy what she said.

"Well as long as you are around Adrien, I'm sure you'll be fine. Do send us a message when you'll be getting back, my dear. Please stay safe." Sabine pleaded, her voice having a tiny edge of fear in it like any mother would. Smiling, Marinette nodded.

"I will, don't you worry. You and papa try and sleep as best you can" she assured.

"Do take care my sweet dear, if anything happens, please ring us." Tom pleaded in the background.

"Hope we'll see you soon, dear. We love you." Sabine added.

"I love you both too. See you soon." Marinette replied before putting her phone away, before a wave of guilt came over her.

While she was glad her parents were safe, she hated having to lie to them about when she'd be coming home, because Marinette knew she probably wouldn't make it back until the morning given the situation they were in. Tikki flew up to her from behind, eating away at the cookie she held.

"Try not to worry, Marinette. You should take Batman's advice and make a pillow dummy for your bed if we can stop by". the little Kwami suggested, only for Marinette to shake her head at the idea.

"My parents won't be fooled by that, Tikki. I hate having to lie to them about what I do, espescially now...do you think soon I should...tell them? I mean, me and Adrien finally know we're Ladybug and Chat Noir, would it be best if I tell mom and papa?" she asked in deep thought, though her eyes looked desperate for an answer.

Tikki gave her a sympathetic look.

"It's getting to that point where keeping such secrets might do more damage than good. I guess if we see through to tomorrow, you should talk to them about it. Or at least wait until things have calmed down." the Kwami offered her own view to the suggestion Marinette brought in, making the bluenette make a small nod.

"Yeah. I might have to, given it feels like the whole world now has its eyes on us." she said in agreement, feeling telling her parents would take away such a toll that was weighing on her.

Footsteps reached her ears and she turned to see Adrien entering the room, putting his phone away as he let out a sigh.

"That was Nino. He's still pretty shook up from what he saw. Can't blame him either." he said grimly as he ran a hand through his hair.

"But he and Alya are okay though, right?" Marinette asked in a hopeful tone, getting a nod from her boyfriend.

"Yeah, Alya's home now and Nino has told me she's contacted our friends in the Ladybug Chat Group. She thinks they're okay." he assured with a glad smile.

He put a comforting hand on his girlfriend's shoulder and looked at her head in concern.

"How's it feeling? Any better?" Adrien asked, his voice deep with worry. Marinette's smiled at his concern and took hold of his hand.

"It's only throbbing, nothing else. It should go when I turn back into Ladybug." she said softly to ease her boyfriend's worry. She did look a little down though as she brushed her hair, getting another concerned look from her boyfriend.

"Sorry, it's just...I would've shown it loose to you sooner, but not like this" Marinette spoke, almost full of shame. Adrien just smiled and gently smoothed her cheek, making her face turn a bright red out of delight.

"Still look beautiful to me, pigtails or no pigtails." Adrien said softly, his voice somehow soothing the throbbing in her head. Or it was his hand, she didn't know, but she liked it.

"Thank you Adrien." Marinette said graciously.

She pulled the blonde boy closer to her for a comforting embrace. After the events of tonight, she felt like she needed a warm hug with her boyfriend. Adrien embraced her back, appreciating the feeling of his girlfriend's arms around him again after a hectic night in the city square. Both teens knew that the peace wouldn't last for very long so they were determined to make the most of it while they could.

As they enjoyed their moment together, Wonder Woman had stood in a good position on the roof to see if her tracer's signal would boost. The Amazon glanced down at the tracer to see if it was picking anything up. The device seemed to be working this time. It seemed that Master Fu was right to suggest she stand on the roof for it was picking up the Watchtower's signal. Smiling grimly, she held the tracer out to see if it could locate Grail. She knew time was ticking and was determined to find her before anymore chaos could commence.

"Please find her, please find her, please find her..." she hissed repeatedly to herself as she waited for the tracer to pick anything up.

Shortly after a few minutes, it vibrated and bleeped as the tracer displayed a digital map of Paris. Zooming in past the surface, the tracer displayed the dark tunnels of the catacombs, going deeper than where the public would go when looking through them, showing clear traces of Apokaliptian energy coming from there. Her heart almost gripped tight in fear, Wonder Woman let it sink in about where Grail was.

"This time...all this time she was hiding in Paris! This has to mean Darkseid is with her. Goodness knows what else they have down there. I better warn them!" she said to herself as she slid down the roof and landed back on the balcony, quickly running through back to the living room where Master Fu was resting just as Marinette and Adrien entered.

"I've found her, and she's not far. She's in the catacombs!" the Amazon informed them in a raised voice, her eyes wide intensely, getting a gasp from the trio of humans in the room.

"You mean...she's been hiding under our city all this time!? How long for?" Marinette asked in deep shock.

"Probably for a few years. The best place to lay low and hide Darkseid." Wonder Woman replied in a grim tone as she showed them what the tracer displayed. Master Fu sat himself up a bit with his face frowning.

"If she has Darkseid with her, chances are she will have the advantage against all of you. She could sink the whole city into the catacombs." he noted grimly, yet Wonder Woman shook her head.

"I shouldn't think so. If Darkseid is still in the form of a young child, his powers will be limited. We might have a chance of bringing him and Grail in." she replied in a slightly more optimistic tone.

"Bad enough I was living with a villain all this time, now the devil is hiding under Paris!" Adrien groaned with his fists clenched, not liking how a lot of villains were treating Paris as a rest up, "When do we go? I'm ready for it" he then asked the Amazon, really wanting to take another fight to Grail, only for Marinette to put a hand on her boyfriend's shoulder.

"Hang on, shouldn't we get the Justice League for this? I mean, we could hardly handle ourselves against Grail alone, shouldn't we get like Superman in this or something?" she suggested to the Amazon, who looked unsure at this idea.

"Even if we did get Superman here, there's the high chance of him losing to Grail, and we can't risk anymore civilian casualties if he's used as a doll they can toss around the city. The only advantage we have is the catacombs. I don't think Grail will risk bringing the city down into them because she could easily lose her father, and the enclosed space will make her take a different approach to fighting us." Wonder Woman thought verbally, making Marinette's face brighten up as she heard this.

"So we could probably beat her this time?" she asked in a hopeful tone, getting a stern look from Wonder Woman.

"I didn't say we could win, I'm saying we've got the odds evened out. We have to be careful with how we take care of this." she told the bluenette, who nodded at her.  
"Well Diana, if it's all even, I say we get going. No one else is getting killed tonight." she said in a determined tone, making Adrien smile. Wherever his girlfriend was gonna go, he'd be there with her.

"Hold on now, you two. Before you go, you'll need to hide your Miraculouses." Master Fu then spoke as he handed another tin to Nooroo, who flew over towards Adrien.

"When you transform, you'll have to rub as much of this over your Miraculouses as you can. It's an element that can help hide it from the eyes of others." the purple Kwami said as Adrien took hold of it. Plagg flew out of his pocket and cringed.

"Ugh, not that, I'm not having that rubbed onto my ring! I'll be stinking as if I came out of a swamp!" he moaned, getting a giggle out of Marinette, "Oh c'mon, it will!" he yelled at Marinette.

"You're the same Kwami that eats Camembert cheese, so I think you'll be fine." Adrien said lightly as he undid the lid.

"We could get him some different cheese if he wants" Nooroo suggested with a giggle, getting a glare from Plagg.

"It ain't happening, butterbrains, it's Camembert for me!" he yelled in great passion for the cheese.

"So the sayings were true about you, Plagg. You do go for the unhealthiest of options." Wonder Woman bluntly said with a smirk.

"Before we go though, we need to make sure Master Fu will be okay. I don't mean to be rude, but Wayzz and Nooroo might not be enough to look after him while he's like this" Marinette then spoke up, giving the old man a concerned look, though he smiled.

"Oh don't worry, Marinette, I've had a lot thrown at- Agh!" he cried out as he leaned too far forward that he felt a sharp pain go through him, making Adrien run to his side.

"Okay, I think we know you aren't gonna be alright." he said sternly as he helped push the old man gently back into the seat. He gasped a small he felt more pain go through him, leaving him shocked.

"But...I used the ointment. It has to be helping." he said with a deeply confused look.

"I took a look at your healing ointment and it looks like you'll need more than some of that. Perhaps a more magical healing use perhaps." Wonder Woman said as she knelt by his side.

"Oh goodness, well I never really gotten around to learning the arts of mystic healing. I haven't used my Miraculous since the early two thousands, and it was that that kept me alive!" he explained to the Amazon, who frowned.

"If that's right, can't you just use your Miraculous again to heal you?" she asked in a concerned voice, only for Wayzz to fly to her face.

"No, he can't! If I were to be used by him now, it would be too much for his body to cope with! I will not allow it!" he squeaked in a frightened voice, only for Tikki to push him softly away from Diana.

"I know Diana, Wayzz, it was only a suggestion. I'm sure she's got a friend who could come by and help/" she assured the green Kwami, with Wonder Woman smoothing her head.

"I do but I'm not sure how fast they can get here. I don't like the idea of leaving this man alone for too long in a great amount of pain/" she said with a lot of concern towards the old Chinese man, who smiled grimly.

Adrien then raised his hand nervously, knowing what he was about to say would be met with quite an opposition.

"Um, I think I have someone who can help. He travels fast from what he showed me, and he's good with his use of magic." he suggested, grinning shyly as Plagg looked at him with big, shocked eyes.

"No...not him, Adrien, he's gonna stink the whole place out! He'd probably just end up killing Master Fu by simply being here!" he squeaked, knowing well who he was talking about.

"Who are you referring to Adrien?" Wonder Woman asked curiously. She knew many magic users herself so she was interested to hear who Adrien had in mind.

The blonde boy rubbed the back of his head sheepishly as he gave his answer.

"John Constantine." he replied.

Master Fu stared at him incredulously as if Adrien had suggested Jack the Ripper should look after him. Wonder Woman's response was more an expression of surprise than anything else. Plagg just glanced at them both with a grim face, knowing right away that Adrien was referring to Constantine the whole time.

"John Constantine? Are you sure about that Adrien?" Wonder Woman asked, puzzled, "He's not exactly the friendliest person to leave to care for anyone."

"I agree! Out of the question!" Master Fu snapped indignantly, "I'll not have that man watching over me! Last time I met him, it took me weeks to get rid of the stench of nicotine after he left!"

"Well who else is there?" Adrien pointed out, "True he does have a bit of a mouth on him and an overly sarcastic streak but he's not that bad! He can travel fast and has a lot of magic expertise. I really think he should take care of Master Fu while we stop Grail."

Marinette looked unsure but chosen to put her point in.

"We honestly don't have that much time. If Constantine is the only person we've got, then it'd have to be him" she said, trying to be reasonable. Master Fu grabbed Wonder Woman by the wrist and gave her a pleading look like he was a kid that was about to cry.

"Please, dear Spirit of Truth, I will not have the man who blackmailed the devil himself to look after me! If he even so just steps in here I might die!" he pleaded desperately, almost frightened at the thought of Constantine coming here.

Wonder Woman gave the man a soft look and a tiny smile came over her features.

"Well, Marinette does have a point, and Zatanna did tell me he used to work at a care home, and if Adrien is telling the truth, Constantine might not be so bad. If he's the only one we can get, it'll have to be him." she decided, making Master Fu groan in despair.

"May the afterlife be kind to me if I die in a second" he let out, making Marinette pat his arm.

"We should trust Adrien on this. I didn't get to meet him at Wayne Manor, but I'm sure he can be alright. Ring him, Adrien." she said lightly, getting a nod from the blonde teen as he pulled out his other phone, the case it was in having a star in a circle on the back. He pressed the button and it began ringing.

"Okay, hopefully he's gonna pick up." he said more to himself as it rang again. After another few rings, it was answered, and the British man's voice was as dry as ever.

"Well look who it is, Jodie Whittaker. Heard things were kicking off in Paris, gotten back in your onesie again?" came the teasing reply, making Adrien roll his eyes.

"Hi Constantine. Yeah, things have gotten pretty bad out here. We need you to look after someone for us, he needs some mystic healing."

"Now now, my mate, I'm not much of a care worker as I used to be. Who's the bloke that's in a bit of pain, is he old? Handsome?" came the reply from the British occult expert, his voice heard on the loud speaker of the phone so everyone could hear him. Marinette cringed at his attitude.

"Okay, are you sure he can look after Master Fu, Adrien? He does-!"

"Master Fu, was it? Now there's a face I wouldn't chatting to again, me and him go way back. Still looking good for his age or has now become a wrinkly sack?" Constantine interrupted, getting a groan from the old Chinese man.

"Look, could you get here, please? We don't have much time." Adrien said in frustration, actually thinking of putting the phone down due to the man's overbearing sarcasm.

"I know, I know, another chapter must end, you've got to get back in your onesie. Keep an eye on the plant, my mate, I'll be there in a second." came the reply of the magical expert, putting the phone down shortly after.

Sighing as he pocketed the phone, Adrien looked to everyone around him.

"Well, he's coming, best we keep an eye on the plant" he suggested, looking to the plant on the nearby table, making Marinette frown.

"The plant? Why?" she asked in confusion, making Wonder Woman smile.

"Oh you'll see, Marinette. You might like it." she said in a teasing tone, while Wayzz groaned.

"If there's something worth to note, the plant is going to die." he said in a sad tone.

Watching the plant, Marinette gasped in amazement as it began to twist and turn, its thick body splitting and extending its leaves. Then to make her eyes go wide, a green hand slid through the body of the plant, followed by a coat arm, then a foot, the colour of green fading to the man's normal colour. The pot split open, causing another foot to tear through the end of the body and sliding into the soil. The plant twisted around and then split down the middle as a man stepped out of it. He was blonde, had a five o'clock stubble on him, eyes that were as droopy as ever, and his coat looking as if it was drenched from water.

"Alright then mates, where's the old geezer?" Constantine remarked cheekily.

Master Fu sighed in irritation as Marinette and Adrien pointed over at him. The blonde man turned to see the short, Asian man sitting in his seat and of course, not looking happy to see him. He didn't care, he was used to that sort of greeting.

"Long time no see eh Fu-Fu?" Constantine said with a teasing smirk, "Yer looking surprisingly good for someone who's 186! So what's up with you then? Age finally catching up or something?"

Wonder Woman, Marinette and Adrien quickly filled him in on what had happened, the occult master not daring to interrupt even once for he wanted to hear everything. He took everything in with quiet interest, taking a cigarette out of his pocket and twiddling it between his fingers as he listened. The most he did was raise an eyebrow once he heard Grail was involved in all of this and that she was hoping to restore Darkseid.

"Well then, I'd say we're all royally fucked mates." Constantine muttered, "Sorry to be so blunt but it's the truth. Darkseid and his offspring bitch are here, therefore we're fucked. Plain and simple."

"Please don't use language like that in the presence of children." Wonder Woman sighed in annoyance.

"Come on love, they're teens now. I think they've heard every curse word known to man at their current ages!" the British man said casually.

"Doesn't mean we like hearing it..." Marinette said tightly.

"So buy n' large, you three are going after that grey-skinned cretin and I'm here babysitting old, short and wise over there." Constantine acknowledged with a quick glance at Master Fu, making sure he'd gotten everything.

"That's right. He's not too keen to meet you again so please don't drive him crazy OK?" Wonder Woman asked politely.

Constantine took out a lighter and lit his cigarette, puffing smoke for a minute before he replied. Marinette clutched her nose, the rancid stench of tobacco stinging her nostrils. Adrien didn't react, suggesting that he'd gotten used to the smell by now.

"I can't make any promises love but I can say that he'll be in good hands at least." Constantine swore, "I'll make sure he's well looked after. You just get after those Apokaliptians and stop them before they unleash all hell on us.

Master Fu glared at him. "And I'll make sure you won't be opening the gateway to hell again while they're gone." he said with a lot of contempt towards Constantine, who puffed out more smoke from his mouth, Wayzz getting a face full of it which caused the Kwami to nearly fell to the floor.

"I was young back then, mate, learning new things and all. I'm an expert now, and from what I can observe, you are royally pissed off and on edge despite the fact I'm holding Wondie's lasso. So by holding it, I'm being as honest as a fairy. I'll look after you." he spoke lightly, making everyone gasp as they saw he was indeed holding the golden lasso closely to him Wonder Woman quickly reached for her hip and was surprised to find no lasso there.

"And how did you get that?" Wonder Woman asked with sharp eyes.

"I'm a con artist in my spare time. Keep your eyes peeled at all times." he winked, making Wonder Woman groan as she took it back from him.

Master Fu sighed and rubbed his head in distress, but he had to trust what he saw. Constantine held the lasso and was telling the truth, so he had to give him credit there.  
"Alright, I'm trusting you on this, Constantine. And I hope you three will be careful in fighting Grail." he said as he looked to the trio of heroes.

"We will." Wonder Woman declared, "Mark my words, she will not terrorize anybody else in this city, and neither will her father."

With nothing else to say, Marinette and Adrien activated their transformations so they could go out on patrol already. With a simple cry of their transformation codes, they were transformed from their civilians selves to their superhero selves once more, Constantine watching the whole transformation with little more than a deadpan gaze. Of course this stuff wasn't particularly amazing to him for he'd seen plenty of magic in his life. This was fairly standard compared to what he'd seen. Ladybug and Cat Noir stood where their civilian selves had been just seconds earlier, determined and ready for action. After transforming, Ladybug and Cat Noir opened up the tin that Master Fu had given them earlier and they rubbed some of the ointment over their Miraculous to hide them from Darkseid and Grail. Once that was done, they faced Wonder Woman.

"We're ready Wonder Woman." Ladybug declared.

"Then let's go." Wonder Woman replied, keen to get a move on.

"Try not to die before you stop them OK?" Constantine muttered, puffing more smoke out.

His remark was ignored as Wonder Woman took hold of Ladybug and Cat Noir and flew them out of the spa, heading out into the night to have their second battle with Grail. The blonde man watched them leave, standing by the window to see them get smaller and smaller into the distance. Once they'd disappeared, he turned back to Master Fu, flicking his cigarette back and forth between his fingers.

"So...what is it exactly that you do around here these days aside from making achy and sore people feel better?" he asked, not really interested in the answer as he just wanted to fill the silence more than anything.

Master Fu just sighed and said nothing. He had a feeling tonight was going to be a long night...longer than any night he'd had in his 186 years even...


	8. Chapter 7: Into the Catacombs

_Chapter 7: Into the Catacombs_

Wonder Woman was keen to get this over with as soon as possible. Not only was she in it to put an end to Grail's threat and save Paris from the presence of Darkseid, but she also didn't fancy leaving Master Fu in Constantine's care for too long. She had seen quite clearly how much the Asian man had disapproved of him and being left in his care for so long would surely drive the poor man insane. Still, at least he wasn't left on his own with nobody to care for him and he was safe. It was only she, Ladybug and Cat Noir who were going into the lion's den and risking certain death in facing Darkseid and his daughter.

Wonder Woman flew through the night sky, searching for the catacombs that the two Apokaliptians were hiding in. She had her tracer in hand and glanced at it every so often to see how close they were. The Apokaliptian energy signature was growing stronger as she traveled through the air. She was getting closer by the minute. The Amazon glanced over her shoulder to see how Ladybug and Cat Noir were keeping up. They were close by, hopping from rooftop-to-rooftop and using their weapons to hover if necessary. It was impressive how they were so young, yet they were keeping up so well. How was it that teenagers made for some of the most determined and hardy heroes in the world? So young and yet so full of energy and courage. It's why so many of them made successful superhero teams like the Teen Titans and Young Justice.

Wonder Woman also found herself thinking back to the days where she had once had a teen sidekick of her own. First Donna Troy, and now Cassie Sandsmark. When they had been with her, they'd displayed the same amount of determination Ladybug and Cat Noir had been displaying throughout the night. Imagine if they were here now helping her to fight Darkseid and Grail...

Wonder Woman put her thoughts aside as she looked at the tracer again, seeing the signature had grown ever stronger. It was telling her that what she was searching for was directly below her. The Amazon looked down, glad to see there were no people around. She wouldn't have wanted civilians to think she was being a public menace, even if she was only trying to save the world. She touched down on the ground, Ladybug and Cat Noir landing beside her.

"I think we're here." Wonder Woman announced, "The tracer's telling me that the energy signatures are coming from directly below us."

Ladybug glanced at the tracer and then back to the Amazon.

"Well shouldn't we just Boom Tube right in there, Diana? It'd make getting in there a lot easier." she suggested, only for the Amazon to look unsure.

"It honestly depends who else is down there. Darkseid alone is enough to worry about, but there could be a lot more waiting for us. They could have us beaten if we land right in the middle of their base." she pointed out, not liking the idea of getting ambushed upon arrival.

"Who or what else could be down there? Can't imagine there'd be that many in the Catacombs." Chat Noir replied, sounding eager to get in after the Apokaliptians. Wonder Woman gave him a firm look.

"If you've been around for as long as I have, you'd know the Catacombs run a lot deeper than what the public makes you think. The best we can do is Boom Tube about five miles away from the signature, that way we can observe and give them the element of surprise." she then said in a thoughtful tone, getting a smile off of Ladybug.

"Well, we're right behind you, Diana. If that's your plan, then let's put it to use. Gotta admit, I'm a little excited. Never thought we'd ever get into the Catacombs." she said in a lighter tone, getting a giggle off of Wonder Woman.

"A young friend of mine can make arrangements for you and your friends to explore more of them later on. Still, we should go now, before it gets too late." the Amazon pressed on as she held up her com.

"Chrome Stone, lock us onto a five mile distance from the signature in the Catacombs, requesting a Boom Tube." she ordered sharply. Instantly, she got a response.

"Recognized, Wonder Woman. Boom Tube opening now." came the voice of the A.I.

Straight away, a slight blow came at the two Parisians from behind and a big circular orb of light opened up as they turned around. Wonder Woman pulled her sword out, just to be ready in case for anything dangerous on the other side. Cocking her head towards the Boom Tube, she gave them a smile.

"Follow me, children. Our trouble with Grail ends tonight" she assured as she walked on in, slowly disappearing into the colourless portal.

Chat Noir lightly giggled as he walked towards the portal.

"Want me to check it first, M'Lady? Or shall it be ladies first?" he offered, getting a warm smile off of Ladybug as she walked up next to him, her hair flowing freely as the wind of the Tube blew against her. Chat Noir had to fight off daydreaming as he felt she looked like she was walking next to a star with such a look.

"I'll take the latter if you don't mind, Adrien?" Ladybug said kindly as she steadily went forward, glancing back to her boyfriend to see him following closely after her.

For what was just a few seconds of nearly being blinded by the emptiness of the portal, Ladybug and Chat Noir gasped as they stumbled through to the other side, darkness almost taking their sight away, only for a pair of hands to gently take hold of their wrists.

"It's alright, I can see you both. Stay low, there's some lights up ahead, I'll guide you to them." came the assuring voice of the Amazon as she gently pulled them downwards. Chat Noir signed as his night vision kicked in, his vision going green.

"Okay, I can see just fine. I've got you, Marinette." he softly assured as he saw his girlfriend trying to find her footing.

"Ugh, sure stinks down here. Quite wet too." Ladybug groaned as she carefully stepped forward, Wonder Woman in front of her by the hand while Chat Noir was behind her, making sure she was alright with her manoeuvring around the place.

Taking it in with his night vision, Chat Noir felt a sense of unease and shivering coming across him as he saw the wet, stony walls that towered above him, the pillars thin and twisted like dried skin while large lumps of rock were scattered around them, with only a small orb of light up ahead being their guide aside from Wonder Woman.

"Sure is spooky down here. And gritty..." Cat Noir muttered, "Now wonder the Apokaliptian family is down here! This place is perfect for those freaks!"

"I wouldn't say that." Ladybug said in response, "I kinda pictured their lair being full of fire for some reason."

She thought back to the nightmare that was still plaguing the back of her mind. At the end, she had seen the Earth engulfed with flames and then the red beams coming towards her. Maybe that was why she'd expected to see a lot of fire in Darkseid's hideout. Or maybe the fire was still yet to come and they didn't know it yet.

"I'll just say that you'll see plenty of fire if you ever have the misfortune of visiting their home world." Wonder Woman muttered, shuddering as she pictured Ladybug and Cat Noir in the clutches of Darkseid and his generals and being sent to the slave pits. She hoped dearly they would never set foot on Apokalips, the sight of such a planet would scar them for life. The heroes traversed through the catacombs, moving slowly and steadily so as not to make any noise. As far as they could tell, nobody knew they were here yet, and they intended to keep it that way. They chose to be as quiet as they could once they reached the set of lights that had been planted into the structure they were walking through.

"Stick to the darkness but keep your weapons at the ready. They won't hesitate to kill you the second they see you." Wonder Woman warned the two, shortly hearing the whirring and hissing of their yo-yo and baton getting turned into their weaponized states.

"I can imagine you've been in places like this all your life Diana, well, when going on adventures that is. Bet you've managed to climb mountains and find hidden cities in them." Ladybug whispered as they began to tread down a pathway that went downwards, smaller lights illuminating their way.

"You don't want to know the hideous creatures mountains hide, Marinette. If you thought Arkham Asylum houses the most vile of human beings, mountains are home to some of the most twisted and barbaric of all sorts of beings. Sadly even humans..." Wonder Woman replied, her tone grim as she thought of the likes of Ra's Al Ghul and China White in their mountainous homes that protected them from the world.

"Hope we don't get to meet any of them then." Ladybug replied in an agreeable tone, hoping not to get anymore unkind visitors coming to Paris. Chat Noir then spoke up, wanting to change the subject onto something that was on his mind.

"Sorry to bother you, Diana, but if you don't mind me asking...how much did Hermes mean to you? I know he was part of your pantheon of Gods, but with how you were when we found his body, you seemed as if you...lost a friend. I take it you knew him well?" the leather clad teenager asked as they came out into a clearing that was slightly darkened due to not having as many lights in it.

Wonder Woman's eyebrows turned upwards in forming a slightly upset look, though a small smile appeared on her face as Ladybug looked at her with interest over what her answer would be.

"Let's just say...he was like family. It was partly thanks to him why I came out into the world. Tikki and my fellow Amazons taught me so much, but Hermes...he was there to guide me across the world, showed me the good to counter the bad, showed me who I could trust, and to help me remember to fight for what I believed in." she explained softly as memories flooded back to her of her adventures with the Greek God, how he would watch her from the side to see her push through all that was in her way.

"Sounds like you had quite the adventure with him. It wasn't all about kicking butt though, was it?" Ladybug asked with a smile as she wanted to hear more of what the Amazon had to say. Wonder Woman smiled.

"He was only there for the early butt kicking. Everything else that happened throughout history...I handled by myself. Still not sure how I got through it, really." she said distantly as she remembered all she did ever since being part of Man's World since nineteen eighteen.

"Take it he was like a father to you then...glad he was good to you." Chat Noir said in a slightly sad tone, pain still clear in his very self over the loss of his father.

"Don't mind me, just being my moody self. I'll get over it...when I can." he then suddenly said as he caught their concerned eyes.

Choosing to take Chat Noir's words and let him be, Wonder Woman looked to the tracer again and frowned.

"Okay, not much further now. Stay low and let's keep the talking short." she advised as she gripped her sword tightly as she began to press more closely to the walls, worried at being seen. Taking her change of attitude and manuvering seriously, Ladybug and Chat Noir followed the Amazon in a similar movement.

* * *

Elsewhere in the Catacombs, at the very epicentre of where the heroes were going towards, Grail had carried a candle by her side as she made her way through the darkened tunnels that had their lights off for good reason. Mantis was following after her, his feet crunching against the rock like soil and leaving big footprints in his wake.

"Sounds glorious that your father is in good spirits, princess. Should word be sent out to Dessaad to awaken his nest of Parademons?" asked the big green insect like alien, only to get a grunt from Grail.

"Do what you must. If it's to please my father, go right ahead. I doubt he will thank you." she replied grimly, confusing the bug, who then went on ahead of her, not thinking anymore of her mood.

"Do enjoy the battle to come, princess, for it will be gruesome and brilliant!" he called back as he went on up ahead towards the light on the other side, getting another grunt from Grail as she then leapt to the top of the room she was in, landing on some sort of gantry as she reached there.

Although it it was dark, it was easy enough for Grail to see the machine panel in front of her. Her fingers shook in anger as she grabbed the lever by the side, still not pleased with the choices her father was making.

"And so begins the unmaking of all my work...why did I go through with this, mother?" she whispered to herself in a sad tone as lights began to light up the room, revealing it was another cave like structure, only on the side Grail was on, there were techno-organic like tubes, about a hundred of them, all planted in the wall, as if an insect had laid its eggs, only there were mechanical machinery that looked fitting enough for a garage by their sides. Pretty much where the homeless man ended up being in, his whole self likely dead.

Veins on the top half row of eggs began to pulse and gurgle as large figures inside of them began to open their arms up, red eyes glowing brightly as sharp teeth stood out in the orange glow of the eggs. Grail sighed as she heard the mechanical organic growl of her father's forces echo from the eggs, looking down at her feet as she thought of all the work she had been doing for her father...and her mother.

"Mother...why did you not raise me differently?" Grail asked herself, deeply wishing her mother was here now, feeling the atmosphere change for her as it all sunken in that there'd be no point in having Darkseid fight for good. It was all for nothing...

Her eyes then widened as a thought came to her. Darkseid might not be one to listen to any sense of good but...she did. Perhaps the world of Apokalips didn't need Darkseid...

* * *

Meanwhile, Wonder Woman, Ladybug and Cat Noir were slowly but surely making their way towards the Parademon nest. Their nerves were tingling as they got closer to the energy signature the tracer was picking up. Wonder Woman could feel her heart beat a little faster, knowing what she was getting into. They were heading towards the lion's den, and chances are they weren't going to leave without a few scratches. She glanced over at Ladybug and Cat Noir, seeing that the two were beginning to look more and more nervous.

"Try to keep calm and don't let yourself get anxious." Wonder Woman said sternly, "The one thing you must never do when near Parademons is get scared. They can sense fear and they can even feed off of it. Your anxieties will attract them."

"Oh great, something to make me MORE nervous!" Cat Noir sighed, "But thanks for the warning. I'll try and keep calm."

"What do we do if they attack?" Ladybug asked.

"Kill them before they kill us. They're not hard to kill thankfully." Wonder Woman explained, thinking back to how many Parademons that had been slain by her sword in the past. When it came to fighting supervillains and invading aliens, the Justice League could happily boast about how many Parademons each enemy had killed in their battles with Darkseid.

"Not like you to be thankful that something's easy to kill." Cat Noir noted, curious on Wonder Woman's dismissive attitude towards the creatures.

"They're mindless monsters that have to be killed. They barely even qualify as life." Wonder Woman explained, "They're among the few things I can slay without feeling any guilt over the deed."

"And I think you may have to start slaying because there's one right there!" Ladybug exclaimed, pointing ahead.

The trio all stared as a Parademon turned the corner and stared at them with blood red eyes that glowed in the darkness. It was a repulsive sight, looking like some hideous fusion of a skeleton and an insect with its exposed bones, huge insect-like wings and hunched-over stance. Its jaws opened, revealing a gruesome maw of sharp teeth and yellowy viscous liquids stretching between them. It flew towards them, its wings beating in the air wildly as they carried it towards the heroes. Wonder Woman swiped at it with her sword but the Parademon held back, causing her to miss. It clawed at the princess, but it hit the armoured bracelet around her wrist so it didn't hurt her.

"We must be close to the nest!" the Amazon cried, "Grail may be waking them up as we speak! We must get to it before anymore start emerging from their tubes!"

"Let's get this piece of crap out of the way then!" Chat Noir yelled as he propelled himself forward and viciously drove his baton's glowing tip into the chest of the Parademon, shoving it up against the rock like wall behind it. Ladybug gasped at the ferocious change in her boyfriend's attitude, but kept quiet from voicing her shock as she watched on.

Chat Noir growled as he twisted his baton deeper into the skin of the Parademons, watching on as the glow of his weapon spread across the creature like fire eating away at paper. The Parademon let out a hiss of agony as the wave of power consumed it, turning it to a pile of ash in just a minute. Chat Noir pulled his baton back and let out a deep blow of air, trying to ease his adrenaline.

"Good thing this works on them. So much for being monsters of hell." he said in slight pleasure, only for his ears to perk up as he heard the sound of more wings fluttering up ahead in the darkness.

"Now we're getting the full dose of them!" Ladybug cried as she leapt on top of a nearby rock and shot herself forward through the empty air, snapping her blades down on one Parademon like scissors, causing it to drop lifelessly to the floor in two halves.

Ladybug gagged at the stench of its guts while lumps of green blood covered her front, even dropping on her hair.

"Ugh, that's just...ohhhhh!" she cried as she wiped some of the blood off, only for Wonder Woman to hoop her lasso around her and pulled her back from an incoming blast of laser fire, Wonder Woman pulling her away from the danger.

"Oh great, they've got guns!?" Ladybug yelled in shock, not liking the idea of taking on gun wielding creatures.

"Sadly so." Wonder Woman replied as she threw her sword at another like a dart, the silver blade slicing cleanly through the Parademon from head to groin and watched as it impaled another in the head.

"The nest shouldn't be so far away. Adrien, can the energy from your baton spread on a wider scale?" Wonder Woman asked as she pulled out her lasso. Chat Noir glanced to his weapon and nodded.

"It probably can, why do you ask?" he questioned as he dodged another blast of lasers.

Wonder Woman leapt onto a nearby rock and lassoed her weapon around one of the Parademons and then tossed it into another, knocking that one out of the air and sending it flying onto another on the ground, following on with a vicious slam onto a sharp towering rock, killing that Parademon she lassoed. Ladybug ran forward and shivered as she drove her Ladyblades into the chests of the two downed Parademons, killing them almost instantly as the aura of her blades burnt through them, watching as their eyes lost their colour as if they were lights being turned off.

"Go find the next and use your baton on it, it should destroy those that have not woken up." Wonder Woman told Chat Noir as she pulled her sword out of the body of the Parademon it was impaled in.

Cat Noir nodded and pressed forward, leaving the two heroines to finish off the Parademons currently awake. He didn't see Wonder Woman and Ladybug mow down a few more Parademons as they flew towards them, falling to the ground in pieces like a broken doll. Cat Noir found himself being confronted by another Parademon as it spotted him. It took aim and shot at him with its gun, but the feline-themed hero spun his staff around to block the attack. The laser blast just harmlessly dissipated upon impact. Then Cat Noir drew his arm back and threw the staff at the Parademon like a javelin. The staff hit it in the chest tip first, the Cataclysm like ability reducing it to dust in a matter of seconds. The black-clad teen retrieved his staff and carried on running ahead, barely even noticing the dead Parademon as he ran by.

"Wondie was right, these things are easy to kill!" he said to himself with a slight chuckle. Even Hawk Moth's weakest akuma villains put up more of a fight than these things did!

Cat Noir followed the tunnel to the nest, reasoning that the Parademons had come from up ahead so the nest had to be close by. He even saw a few more Parademons emerging from the end of the tunnel he was in, coming out in larger numbers than before. That HAD to be the nest and he had to get a move on and destroy it before they ended up overwhelmed by the creatures. Cat Noir charged ahead, using his staff to disintegrate Parademons left and right as he came across them. Some flew past him, heading on towards Wonder Woman and Ladybug while some tried to attack Cat Noir. Several Parademons ended up reduced to dust before they even had time to take aim and shoot at him. Cat Noir soon found himself in a bit of a scrape as a couple of Parademons managed to pounce on him and pin him down to the floor before he could use his staff on them. He struggled furiously, trying to break free as the insectoid beasts held him down. The Parademons opened their mouths, keen to start feasting on their prey. They could smell his fear as he tried to break free and were desperate to consume it.

Cat Noir managed to save himself by swinging his leg up and walloping one of the demons in the backside, causing him to tumble forwards and away from him. With one arm free, he was able to grab hold of his staff again and kill the other Parademon holding him down as it tried to bite him. He closed his eyes and mouth to avoid getting any of the dust his opponent had been reduced to in them. He jumped to his feet and jabbed the staff down on the other Parademon that had pinned him down, killing that one too. Now the cat-like hero was free, he headed on into the nest, finding himself aghast at what he was seeing. The techno-organic machinery that was holding the Parademons looked like something out of a science-fiction film, only there was nothing fictional about this sight. It was a hideous reality, and one Cat Noir still couldn't quite believe. But here he was, in the nest of the Parademons, and just seconds away from preventing a full-scale army from emerging into the world. He gripped his staff ever tighter, heading towards one of the tubes.

"Now to use my staff to destroy the tube like Wonder Woman told me." he said to himself, "And I don't need to feel bad about killing them. They barely qualify as life, she said. Just mindless monsters that need to be killed..."

He took a moment to consider what he was about to do. Yes, they were monsters that willingly served all evil, but...was he being like his father in doing this? Or...would Gabriel have been more than happy to have an army of Parademons working for him?

Yes...he would. His father would've stored them up under the mansion if he could, have them feast upon his friends...and they would feast upon everyone else if he didn't hurry up.

Glaring at the hatched egg like tubes, Chat Noir slammed his baton tip into the one nearest to him. His green eyes watched on as a matching wave of destructive energy spread across the tubes like a wave splashing over rocks on a beach. One by one, the remaining pods were all turned to ash, squeals of agony echoing from them as the Parademons inside were all destroyed.

Chat Noir clenched his fist in pleasure at this.

"Alright, that's it! You did it kitty!" he gladly yelled, only for his eyes to widen as the last of his cataclysm like powers stretched onto a rock piece that was stick out from the ceiling above him.

Reacting quickly, Chat Noir dove to the side to avoid being crushed by the large chunk of rock, only to frown when he didn't hear it crash. Turning around, his chest tightened as he saw Grail standing there with the rock over her head, a smirk on her face.

"You all just don't give up. I'm actually thankful for what you did. Still, to please father..."

She followed up by tossing the rock at Chat Noir, who shot his baton up and vaporised the piece of debris with it, only to receive a vicious punch to the stomach from Grail, sending him flying backwards against a mound of soil. Grail smirked as two Parademons floated above her.

"Do take care of him, please." she ordered calmly.

The Parademons opened fire on Chat Noir, who darted to his feet and ran back the way he came, the laser fire biting away at his feet. Grail turned away from the battle and went towards the direction that would take her back to her father, though she glanced at where the egg like tubes once stood.

"And now that's been taken care of, it's best I get father away from here." she said to herself, her thoughts slightly distant over what had recently came to her mind.

Back with Chat Noir, he found himself back in the company of Ladybug and Wonder Woman, the latter of whom tossed a lassoed Parademon towards Ladybug, who slashed it down with her Ladyblades. She turned to Chat Noir with a concerned loo.

"You okay, Adrien?" she asked in a matching tone, getting a grunt from him.

"Yeah, took care of the pods but we've got more company up ahead!" he said as he blocked a laser blast with his staff.

"Grail?" Ladybug asked in response as she took cover behind a towering rock like pillar to avoid getting shot.

"Yeah and I think daddy dearest isn't far either!" Chat Noir grumbled as he whacked a gun out of an incoming Parademon's hands, only to get rammed in by it. Ladybug quickly took action by jumping onto its back and plunging her Ladyblades into it.

Pulling them backwards, this caused the Parademon to let go of Chat Noir and took to the air. Smirking as she saw she gotten control of the creature, Ladybug drove it towards the two incoming from the other side. She rammed her Parademon into the first one and drove it up against the rock like structure, shoving her blades into its chest through the other Parademon, then she backflipped towards the other, swiping away in a single slash that stripped it of its wings, sending it crashing onto the ground below. Chat Noir finished it off by driving his baton up its stomach, cringing as it let out a splatter of drool from its mouth as it was reduced to ashes.

"I'll try to catch up with Grail!" Wonder Woman declared, "She knows we're here and will probably be attempting to flee! I'll try to stop her before she or Darkseid escape!"

"Or bring the whole catacombs down on us!" Ladybug cried.

Wonder Woman ran off towards where Grail had exited the room, guessing that was the way she'd gone. If they were to bring an end to her and Darkseid's terror, then tonight would be the perfect time and she was determined to do it now before anybody else could fall victim to them. Grail was already far ahead due to the time given to her and her super speed. She soon found herself back in the room that her father was inside, where he was sliding a pair of armoured blue gauntlets onto his forearms, clearly getting ready for a fight, while the Miraculous Book was by his feet.

"Oh, my dear daughter. Are the Parademons awake? Ready for battle?" Darkseid asked lightly as he tightened the gauntlets. Grail kept a grim look on her face to hide her pleasure of what was going on, picking up the Miraculous Book.

"I'm afraid the battle has come to us, father. Diana is here with those children and they've destroyed the nest." she informed, holding off the urge to grin, though she was satisfied with the wide eyes on her father's face as he turned to her.

"What? They've found us? How could they?" he asked in slight concern, not usually sounding so .Grail placed the book in her side pouch as she explained to him.

"Diana must have something with her to keep track of us. If we escape to the Ural Mountains now, we might be able to stay a step ahead." Grail replied, taking hold of her father by the shoulder, only for Darkseid to grip her wrist with a more interested look, his concern over the attack now gone.

"You say she's brought the children with her? The ones with the Miraculouses?" he asked with a hint of desire in his voice.

Grail now wished she didn't mention Ladybug and Chat Noir, seeing where her father was getting at.

"Father, we don't have many Parademons protecting us, and you aren't strong enough to take them on." Grail pointed out, trying to put some reason into her father's mind, only for him to take her hand off his shoulder.

"I will be the judge of that, Grail. Just watch." Darkseid said calmly as he walked off towards the door that led him out of the chamber as he picked up the sound of clanking armoured boots in the distance. Grail was tempted to just leave him there for Diana to kick the crap out of, but she knew he'd more than likely walk it off and punish her in some way, and she couldn't let him do that, not while she had a new plan being formed in her head.

"Father!" she called, darting after the childlike Apokaliptian leader as he turned to the other way. Getting behind him, Grail caught sight of Wonder Woman storming towards them, her lasso ready.

"Darkseid! You're coming with me!" she declared, shooting out her lasso to ensnare him with it.

Before Grail could do anything, Darkseid calmly caught hold of the lasso and smirked at the Amazon.

"Afraid not, princess of the Amazons." he taunted as his eyes glowed brightened up and fired down on the lasso, covering it in hot burning energy that shot back to Wonder Woman, who cried out in agony as the energy zapped across her arm and bit her all over like a billion snakes biting at the same time.

The glow died down and Wonder Woman dropped to her knees, her body stinging from the attack Darkseid just delivered. Grail was too shocked to say anything as her father tossed the lasso aside and stamped his foot down onto the floor, sending a big lump of debris coming out a foot in front of him. Darkseid then simply whacked it towards Wonder Woman, causing it to bash right into her and send her crashing onto her back. Wonder Woman grimaced in pain, amazed that despite looking like a child, Darkseid was already powerful enough to knock her across the room without breaking a sweat. What had Grail been doing to him to make him so powerful at this early stage? The Amazon picked herself up, trying to ease the pain in her body as her juvenile-stage opponent approached her in his typical hands-behind-back stance. Darkseid grinned confidently, clearly believing himself to be in his element with no way he could be beaten. Even with his face looking much younger, the grin still looked hideous and arrogant. It was like nothing had changed for the Apokaliptian ruler.

"Do not be so foolish as to believe my younger state has sullied my battle prowess in anyway Diana." Darkseid sneered, "I may still yet to achieve my former power, but what I have now is sufficient enough to make even the Princess of the Amazons quake in fear before me!"

"Do I look like I'm quaking in fear?!" Wonder Woman retorted, "You didn't scare me before Darkseid and you certainly don't scare me now! You're not at full power, which means I maybe all that's needed to take you down once and for all!"

"A bold claim. Can't wait to see if you can back it up..." the Apokaliptian crowed.

He then shot forward towards Wonder Woman as if he'd been fired out of a gun. One advantage of his younger state was that he was a little faster than he had been before. Wonder Woman barely even registered the fact he'd moved by the time Darkseid slammed into her. As she was sent reeling backwards from the charge, she was still just comprehending what had happened. She hit the ground heavily, wincing in pain as her back sharply connected with the solid stone floor. Even Grail couldn't believe how fast her father had moved. Darkseid wasn't particularly known for his speed.

The Apokaliptian world ruler chuckled with glee, jumping towards Wonder Woman with both fists clenched together. He swung them down as he closed in on the warrior woman, but he missed as she rolled to the side. Wonder Woman felt the impact of Darkseid's slam on the ground, dust kicking up in her face and the ground cracking just beside her. Thank Hera she hadn't been lying in that spot a second or two longer! Before Darkseid could regain himself, Wonder Woman clasped both of her fists together and swung them hard into the side of her opponent's face. She hit him so hard that he spiralled away, staggering into a wall as if he was drunk. Had he been at full power, that punch wouldn't have hurt him anywhere near as much. This made Wonder Woman smile a little, pleased to see that her attacks had more effect on him at this stage. Darkseid stood away from the wall, rubbing his head and trying to figure out what just happened before Wonder Woman grabbed him by the shoulders and kneed him hard in the gut. As he doubled over, the Amazon spun around and roundhouse kicked him onto the floor. The grey-skinned New God grimaced as he hit the ground, but he quickly stood up again and cracked his knuckles.

"Wonderful. You ARE able to give me a good fight after all. And here I thought the outcome would be no different. This'll make defeating you MUCH more satisfying Diana." he purred.

"Don't get too full of yourself. It'll hurt your ego less when you lose." Wonder Woman scoffed, hoping that her insult would rile him up a little. An angry enemy is a less focused and coordinated enemy and she knew it. Anger was an emotion that was just as likely to cost you a fight as fear was and she'd been trained to exploit those with ill-tempers back on Themiscyra. Hopefully this tactic would work for this fight.

Darkseid, however, simply chuckled as he brushed some dirt off his chest.

"Small insults will do little for you now. I'm tired of them." he assured as his eyes brightened up frighteningly in the darkness.

Already guessing what he was going to do, Wonder Woman quickly shot one arm up to block the incoming Omega Beams with her bracelet as they zipped over at her. The impact drove her back just slightly but not enough to throw her off. However, another pair of red beams was caught in her sight and before she could do anything, Wonder Woman was blasted in the stomach by Grail's Omega Beams, which zigzagged around her in a circular trail, sending her rocketing through the wall next to her, leaving the Amazon princess in a small pile of rubble. Darkseid was pleased with this fight back to even notice a large rift popping across the ceiling. Looking to his daughter, he smiled at her.

"Impressive as ever, my daughter. Now bring me her heart. I'm sure such a gift for the Justice League will leave them devastated." he pointed out as he threw his eyes upon the dazed form of Wonder Woman as she tried to pick herself up. Grail smiled delightfully, already going for her hooked knife.

"Oh it'll be a dream becoming reality, father." she gladly said as she began to make her way towards the Amazon, too excited to notice the rift was getting longer...

Back with Ladybug and Chat Noir just far back in the opening from where Wonder Woman was, they had made short work of two other Parademons that were trying to ensnare them, but in doing so they heard the loud explosion of the structure that Grail made in blasting Wonder Woman. Ladybug was nearly hit by a single blast from a Parademon, dodging at the last second and took cover behind another large stone like pillar, while Chat Noir crouched low behind a mound.

"That didn't sound good! How many of these things you think there are left?" She called to Chat Noir, who peaked over the mound to look.

"About five left, M'Lady!" he called over to her. Glancing behind her, Ladybug spun a blade in her hand and tossed it at one of the Parademons, slicing it down in seconds. Catching the blade as it spun back to her, Ladybug looked to her boyfriend with a confident look.

"Make that four! You handle them, I'll get Diana!" she yelled as she leapt through the air, not noticing the shocked look on Chat Noir's face as she ran towards the path where she saw Wonder Woman go down to.

"What!? M-Marinette, wait-AGH!" he was cut off as collective blast of laser fire grazed over his head, sending him stumbling to his knees. The feline themed hero was then knocked onto his front by a Parademon, who wrapped its huge claws around his body and began to lift him to the air.

Getting frustrated to be in a similar situation again, Chat Noir waved one arm into the face of the creature, his claws sharpened enough to tear into the creature's skin. It wasn't enough, so he resorted to driving them into it's shoulder, making it let out a squeal of pain to the point where it lost hold of Chat Noir, who gripped hold of the creature's shoulder and slammed his staff's tip's right into the face of the winged creature, turning it into small plumes of dust and allowed the blonde hero to drop to the ground, rolling to his feet with a deep frown on his face.

"For the love of, she shouldn't go alone!" He yelled in discomfort as he slashed his staff down onto another Parademon, killing it right away, following up with a well aimed kick to the next one's gun arm, making it fire a shot into the one next to it, leaving only that one left.

Chat Noir just quickly took it down with a fast whack to it's chest, running through the collapsing dust of the creature as he ran after where he saw Ladybug go to.

Just as this happened, Wonder Woman darted back to her feet and tossed a large chunk of rock towards Grail, who quickly blasted it with her red laser beams, only for Wonder Woman to follow up with a kick up the chin and followed it with a deep double fisted slam to Grail's head and then drove her armoured knee into her face, sending Grail flying towards her father's feet. He didn't look too happy with what he was seeing, yet he didn't see the shocked look on his daughter's face.

"I'm not liking what I'm seeing, daughter." he told her in a stern tone.

"Neither am I, father, look out!" she cried as she took in the growing tear in the ceiling above them both. Before Darkseid could even take in what she said as well as the collapsing ceiling, Grail kicked him in the chest to send him flying back down the path that took him to his private room, leaving the young ruler slightly dazed at his daughter's actions.

He held back a gasp as the huge chunks of rock and skeletal remains fell in between him and his daughter, separating them by about thirty five feet.

Wonder Woman was stunned at what just happened to even hear the voice of the young Parisian heroine coming towards from behind, but Grail took it in as she stood up from the dust like clouds that filled the air. She smirked as she turned around, the image of Ladybug coming towards them.

"Diana! You okay!?" Ladybug called out to the Amazon as she neared her, only to stop as she caught the glowing red eyes just in front of the Amazon, who suddenly regained her senses but almost too late as Grail fired her Omega Beams at a frightening speed. Wonder Woman rammed into Grail but while it made her lose hold of the beams, the remainder still came at Ladybug, who went to shield herself with the Ladyblades, only for Chat Noir to dart around her and spin his staff around in a circular move, allowing the blast to dissipate.

He gave her a pained look that clearly told the dotted heroine he wasn't exactly happy.

"Next time you run off, make sure your not going up against a demon on your own. Or let your boyfriend nearly get shot." he explained as Wonder Woman wrestled with Grail behind him, while Ladybug blushed nervously as it hit her that leaving him like that wasn't the best idea.

"Y-Yeah...I'll keep that in mind" she agreed before they both turned towards the two battling women.

Grail tried to slash Wonder Woman across the chest with her hooked knife, only for the princess to whack it out of her hand with a deflecting forearm and swung her foot back into one of Grail's, making her lose her balance. Wonder Woman than grabbed hold of Grail's waist belt and tossed her through the air over Ladybug and Chat Noir, only for the grey skinned hybrid to land on her feet behind them.

Turning to her, Ladybug ducked an incoming kick from Grail, while Chat Noir swiped at her with his staff. Grail blocked it and slid underneath him, dropping a kick onto his back that sent him stumbling into his girlfriend, both of them nearly losing their own balance as Grail stormed towards Wonder Woman with hot anger running through her.

She then punched Wonder Woman in the right cheek, Causing a splatter of blood to spray out of her mouth, but the Amazon fought back by catching Grail's other fist and twisted it, pulling her forward and slamming her head right into Grail's, making her stumble back in a daze, allowing Ladybug to slash her across the back with her Ladyblades, leaving two cuts trailing downwards.

As Grail gasped in pain and nearly dropped to her knees, Wonder Woman kicked her in the face that sent her flying into the wall nearest to her. Moving at a speed that could rival Flash's, Wonder Woman rammed her forearm into Grail's neck, holding her there as tightly as she could, not enough to kill her but enough to keep her from getting loose. The Amazon also placed her other hand over Grail's eyes and slid her lids shut to stop her from firing her Omega Beams.

Ladybug and Chat Noir joined the Amazon's side as Grail clawed at her bracelet, trying to get it off. The sight of Grail losing was enough to brighten their mood, Ladybug smirking at Wonder Woman.

"Looks like your plan was right, Diana. Guess we'll be handing her over to the Justice League soon!" she said lightly as her Ladyblades turned back into her yoyo, grabbing the object tightly as she saw the Miraculous Book in Grail's side pouch.

"And we'll be taking that, thanks." she added as she went to ensnare the book with her yoyo.

"Don't do anything yet, Marinette. Wait until she's unconscious, because she's still a threat like this" Wonder Woman then said, trying to make sure Grail would stop resisting. The Amazon Apokaliptian hybrid then smirked as she struggled to breathe.

"Oh...y-you forgotten...someone" she gotten out, making Wonder Woman's eyes widen while the two Parisians frowned in response.

"Oh no".

It was the only thing Wonder Woman gotten to say before the rock pile blocking the path next to them exploded, the chunks of debris and remains all reduced to smaller pieces of stone that shot into the heroes, throwing them back and sending them crashing across the ground, a huge cloud of dirt and dust coming over them as well as pieces of debris scattered over them.

Coughing as to get rid of the gross dust that gotten in her mouth, Ladybug looked up and almost felt her heart stop as the small figure of Darkseid took her sight, his eyes glowing dangerously having just blasted the rocks away, his hands behind his back and a small smile on his rifted, torn face. Ladybug could just see that, even as a child, this was a person that held no good to him, just evil and cruelty all over him, something that almost matched Joker's but this sent a frightening shiver that hit her heart. She didn't want to see him become an adult, that was for sure. She was glad the ointment she and Chat Noir used to hide their Miraculouses had worked and that he wouldn't be able to see them or use them.

Darkseid slowly walked through, his footsteps soft but imposing as he gotten closer, filling a sense of fear in the two lovers as they tried to pick themselves up. His eyes laid on Ladybug and Chat Noir As Grail came to his side.

"So, these are the heroes of the city above us? I have to say, they look ridiculous. Almost disappointed these are the looks their Miraculouses give them despite the power they have." he spoke in a slightly teasing tone, yet it's graveness did nothing but make Ladybug and Chat Noir freeze into where they were. They never heard such a voice before, especially from a child.

Wonder Woman, however, wasn't concerned or shocked by this. She picked herself up and her lasso was ready, clearly still up for a fight, making Darkseid smirk.

"Truly an Amazon until the end. A shame she doesn't set a good example for them." he said to Grail as his eyes began to light up, ready to continue the fight.

Grail, however, had other plans. She quickly threw her hand over Darkseid's eyes, making his mouth open in confusion while the heroes frowned.

"Daughter, what are you doing?" he asked in a slightly calm tone as Grail's own eyes began to glow.

"We can't fight here, father, not anymore!" she yelled as her Omega Beams fired across the ground between her and the heroes, bringing up a lot of dust to form a cloud that blocked the heroes' vision.

Trying to wave her way through the cloud, Wonder Woman readied her lasso but felt her heart stop as she heard a familiar booming sound up ahead past the cloud. Already knowing what was happening, the Amazon shot through the dust at great speed, managing to split a line through the cloud but wasn't fast enough as she could see the light of the Boom Tube closing as she neared it. She skid to a stop as it disappeared from her eyes, seeing there would be no point in trying to jump in after it.

Ladybug and Chat Noir quickly joined her side, dust and dirt still resting over them and making a great mess of their outfits.

"Where did they go?" Chat Noir asked in shock as he took in the lack of sight of Grail and Darkseid.

"They escaped through a Boom Tube, Adrien. I'm sorry." Wonder Woman said in a low tone, her face lowering in shame over not being quick enough to get both of the Apokaliptian monsters. Ladybug still had a more hopeful look to her as she turned to Wonder Woman, her eyes still full of determination.

"A Boom Tube. It's simple, really, we just Boom Tube after them, find the nearest trace of Apokaliptian energy." she said, sounding sure of what they had to do.

Wonder Woman looked unsure though, her eyes looking to Ladybug's.

"We could, but it's where they could be that worries me, Marinette. They might have gone to another populated area to threaten, putting more civilians at risk, and I can't imagine we will be any good in trying to protect them after what happened on the surface". the Amazon replied, her voice clearly lacking the confidence she had earlier.

Chat Noir than put his hands up to exaggerate his trying at calming things down.

"Okay, hang on, let's just think things over. She hid this Parademon nest underneath Paris, right? I can't imagine there'd be any other big underground tunnels like this, and she would want to keep a low profile from the Justice League, you get where I'm going?" he asked as he tried to explain it all to them, getting an interested look from Wonder Woman.

"Yes I do. Keep going." she replied as she wanted to hear him out, Ladybug listened to her boyfriend with as much interest.

"Good. So wherever she's gone, she's probably gone to an isolated place, somewhere out in the wild where there won't be any people for her to worry about. And why did she decide to grab Darkseid and run?" Chat Noir then added, getting a nod from Ladybug.

"Yeah, she could've let him kill us and take our Miraculouses, wonder why she didn't let him do it?" she replied with her own question.

"Yes...I can see what you mean. If we all ended up fighting Darkseid, the entire tunnel would've collapsed but it would caused a big shockwave that could've brought the whole of Paris down with it. Grail doesn't want something as destructive as that because it'll bring not just the Justice League but many Green Lanterns here too. It would've ruined her plan." the Amazon then said as she let Chat Noir's own insight on this settle in. She gave him a smile and gestures at Marinette.

"Glad to see Plagg's silliness hasn't affected you, Adrien. That was really helpful." she said gladly, getting a shy blush from the blonde superhero.

"I, um, try to be helpful. Thanks. Still, before we go, should we just check the surface to make sure that nothing that happened down here affected up there?" he then suggested.

"Good thinking. And hopefully by the time has passed, the tracer can lock onto the nearest Apokaliptian energy." Wonder Woman said in a calm tone, now sounding more confident after hearing out Chat Noir's outlook on the whole situation as she gotten out her com. She could clearly see these two were worthy heroes and worked well in both strength and mind, and she was glad to be in their company. It was no wonder to her that Master Fu chosen Marinette and Adrien to be Ladybug and Chat Noir, and part of her felt she should find Master Fu by the end of this to thank him for handling Tikki with such care.

As she gave the order to Chrome Stone to Boom Tube them to the surface, Wonder Woman began to think over how Master Fu was coping with John Constantine...

* * *

 _Back at Master Fu's..._

"Look, are you sure you don't want any? Mixed in with the finest fish muscles of the Southern Sea can help give you the strength of a twenty to thirty year old, like me."

"For the last time I will not take anything from that filthy coat of yours! For all I know you're trying to kill me!" Master Fu cried as he gotten another stench of smoke in his face as Constantine was holding a bottle of some sort of alcohol in his hands along with tinned food of fish muscles. John just smirked cruelly as he tapped a little amount of cigarette ash into a nearby cup, making Wayzz frown in disgust.

"Suit yourself. They keep me nice and healthy, you should try it out." he suggested as he relaxed back into the sofa nearby, getting a glare off of Wayzz.

"I hope the Spirit of Truth will lock you away somewhere as soon as she gets back, Constantine, you should show respect to someone when in their own home." the green Kwami spoke down at the blonde haired man, who shrugged his shoulders.

"Whatever, mate. Wherever I go, I own the place, in and out. You should check out the places I go to, might learn something." he said bluntly, getting Wayzz to shake his head.

"Anywhere with you? Not in the next billion years." he replied as he floated back to Master Fu to ease the pillow on his back while Nooroo looked at Constantine with a lot of uncertainty.

"I still don't know why that Mister Wayne chose you to teach Adrien more of his powers. Master Fu would've been just fine in doing so." he said softly, only for Constantine to roll his eyes.

"Oh yeah, same guy who knew about Gabriel being Hawk Moth decided to give little Adrien a Miraculous but didn't tell him why. Such a clever idea said no one accept for Austruc." came the sarcastic reply of the occult detective, making the three frown at him.

"Austruc?" asked Master Fu, getting a shrug from Constantine.

"Oh it doesn't matter, but that's what you get for being in a world like this." Constantine explained, making the three even more confused.

Master Fu groaned as he then sat up, his mind having been in deep thought despite Constantine bothering him so much.

"John, listen...as much as I don't like you, I know deep down you are a man who loves life and want to see the best in humanity. And I think that's why you decided to help Adrien, because you see a lot of good in him. He gives you hope, if I'm right in guessing that." the old Chinese man said in a levelled tone, not wanting to give Constantine the impression he was going soft on him.

Constantine smiled.

"And there's another piece of detail about me covered to be more basic". he said lightly as he then brought himself forward, "So, what are you getting at, Fu Fu? This is going somewhere." he pointed out as he listened to what Master Fu had to say.

The old Asian man sighed as he knew he'd be expressing so much to a man he didn't like.

"You are right. I should've handled things better with Adrien. I should've made contact with him as I did with Marinette. Because now I've seen just how much I could've helped Adrien after all the damage that has happened. I want to make things right to him, and...I need your help in doing that." he gotten out the last set of words with a lot of reluctance, avoiding the satisfied look on Constantine's face.

"Oh, I see. Swallowing it all up now, hmm? Turning to good Constantine for a little help to get Adrien on side, yeah? I'm all in, what is it then?" he asked in such a smug tone was filled with the deep cloud of smoke that floated out of his mouth. Nooroo and Wayzz looked horrified at this and shot to Master Fu's side.

"But Master, you want him to help you!? Him of all people!?" Wayzz asked, his voice almost going over its levels.

"He's not nice, Master, please don't go with him!" pleaded Nooroo, only for Master Fu to wave it all off.

"Nooroo, Wayzz, believe me, I don't feel up to doing this either, but what I want done is something that requires Constantine's expertise. Him being a con artist after all." he pointed out, getting an almost offended look from Constantine.

"Oh come on, I'm a con artist with a good heart! I don't blackmail spirits for nothing, need I remind you! I do it for the good of humanity!" he cried as he placed a hand over his heart as if it was bleeding, before getting back into a serious attitude.

"Still, what exactly do you need me to do, Fu Fu? If it's for Adrien, I'm all for it, just tell me." He asked with a look that told Master Fu Constantine would do it.

"I need you to sneak into the police station. They have something there that could be of a lot of help for Adrien in finding his mother..." he explained.

* * *

 _ **The Parademon nest is destroyed and Darkseid & Grail are on the run. Our heroes aren't going to let them escape though. Something tells me they'll soon be fighting them again very soon. And it seems Master Fu and John Constantine will be getting up to something. What is it that could be a lot of help for Adrien to find his mother and will they get it? Will the world be ready for Darkseid should he be restored to full power?**_

 _ **Tune in next time for the answers to all these questions...**_


	9. Chapter 8: Up in the Mountains

_Chapter 8: Up in the Mountains_

Far from the lights Paris and the whole of France, in the bleak wilderness of the Ural Mountains, where snow had only laid lightly yet still as cold for being close to the arctic, inside the towering grey rocks laid the awakening many monsters that had been under the care of one of the most vile of all Apokaliptians, close to Darkseid.

His robes trailing the rock like floor as his feet walked towards the exit point of the nest chamber where the thousands of Parademons had been waking from their long sleep, Dessaad smiled lightly under his hood as the fabric of the air twisted in front of him in the form of a Boom Tube, two figures coming through shortly afterwards. He straight away bowed his head, more pleased to see his leaders again, and something told him in his stomach that their time was almost near to begin their retake of Apokalips. But a reminder quickly came to him one of them wasn't exactly in the right state of mind as Darkseid pulled Grail's hand off of him.

"Daughter, that's enough! I will not be handled in such a way again!" he yelled, sounding humiliated at how Grail had taken hold of him and pulled him away from the battle in the catacombs. Grail looked emotionless at his yelling and stared at him.

"Father, you have to understand the possibility of too much damage can bring in attention we don't need right now. If we had continued fighting, the whole city would've come down on us, and that would've brought the Justice League in. Fighting those three is enough for now, but I'm not up for fighting the rest of this world's heroes just yet." she explained, deep down finding it weird she was having to be the mother of a child to her father in his situation of being stuck in a child's body.

Darkseid kept his composure together and stared back at his daughter, a more calm look on him as he took in what she said.

"Yes, I do understand, Grail. But you have to understand I have no desire in being stuck in this pathetic form any longer, the outbursts and fits I'm having is something I want to be rid of." he replied, sounding more relaxed in talking now, though there was a slight edge to it. Grail nodded in response.

"It must be frustrating father, but trust me when I tell you this, we now have the advantage, don't we, Dessaad?" she then asked, turning her attention to the red eyed robed man, who stood up once he was being spoken to, his smile still sitting on his face.

"Yes, your highness, Mantis came not long ago and told me of the situation. They're all waking up now and will likely overrun the heroes you are having trouble with when they come here" he told Grail, his voice hollow and rough but having a slightly happy edge to it, making Grail smile.

"Good. Go ready the Father Drives for maximum Boom Tubing, we have a planet to take back. And take father with you, he needs something else to occupy his mind." Grail said in a light tone, making Darkseid put his arms behind his back.

"I can see where you are coming from, daughter. Make sure you and Mantis bring the children in alive though. I wouldn't mind getting to know them before they die." he told his daughter as he began to walk off with Dessaad into the deep darkness of the mountain, leaving Grail alone in her thoughts as she began thinking over what came earlier to her mind...

* * *

On the surface of Paris, the trio of heroes had finished scouring across the city through the air, Wonder Woman flying through the sky highest while Ladybug and Chat Noir had been swinging through the night to get a good view of the city, having been worried over their battle in the catacombs might've damaged the city. It had enough damage done to it recently and it didn't need to face the chances of collapsing into the catacombs twice.

After a quick look from the sky, the heroes met at the bottom of the Eiffel Tower, pleased to see that the city was intact with no evidence of damage anywhere despite what happened earlier.

"Everything seems to be okay up here, thankfully. You two didn't notice anything?" Wonder Woman asked, her voice still as light as ever. The two teenagers nodded in response, a smile on them both.

"Yeah, it all seems fine, good thing it is" Ladybug replied, a pleased tone to her voice.

"Yeah, Paris can rest easy for the night. How's the tracer doing, Diana? Is it back up yet?" Chat Noir asked, pointing to the device the sat in Wonder Woman's waist pouch.

The Amazon pulled it out and gave it a thoughtful look as it vibrated, telling her it was working again.

"It seems so. Just getting it to look for more energy signatures now, Boom Tubes and Apokaliptian, shouldn't take too long." she responded, standing with the two to give them a look at the tracer as it scanned across the world map on it. They followed the circular tracker as it went upwards past Paris and towards the north of Russia, where two red signatures displaying the energy they had been looking for was displayed.

"Okay...looks like the aural Mountains, yeah?" Chat Noir asked as he took this in with a slightly worried look. Wonder Woman nodded in agreement.

"Yes, it seems like it. The right place for them to have another nesting chamber for Parademons." she said bitterly at the thought have having to fight more of the winged creatures. Chat Noir then smirked.

"That's fine, more cannon fodder, the better" he said in pleasure, only to get a firm look from Wonder Woman.

"Don't think it will go lightly this time, Adrien, there could more of them, and Darkseid might have a few of his loyal commanders waiting for us" she told him, sounding like a mother trying to advise her child over how to best going about handling stuff.

"Oh great, like who?" Ladybug asked grimly, not liking the sound of having to fight more of Apokalips' deadliest of people. A small smile came over Wonder Woman's lips at this.

"Well, it won't be Steppenwolf, that I'm sure of. Still, I need to know if you two are up for this. If you both need to stay here, it's o-

"And you can stop right there, Diana. I know, it's gonna be hard and we could get captured or killed, but I'm not going down easy. These people killed many others in this city and we're not gonna stand back and let you do this alone. So we're going with you!" Ladybug said in a serious tone, her expression going well with it, making Chat Noir smile.

"And there's another reason why I love her. I'm with her, Diana, where you're going, we're going." he said, getting a giggle out of Ladybug over his own grave set of words.

Wonder Woman smiled at them. Even at such a young age, the new holders of Tikki and Plagg had shown they were up for whatever was thrown at them. There was still that overly worried thought in her though, so she took their hands with a soft look in her eyes.

"Alright, together we will do it then. But stay close to me and do as I tell you, okay?" she pleaded, getting a nod from Ladybug.

"Always. We'll have your back." she said brightly.

Seeing that was it, Wonder Woman pulled the tracer up again and spoke into it.

"Chrome Stone, lock onto the coordinates of these signatures and Boom Tube us there" she ordered.

"Voice recognised, Wonder Woman. Opening Boom Tube now" came the robotic response of the A.I.

And as soon as it replied, the air in front of the heroes twisted and soon the circular light of the Boom Tube was opened before them, ready to carry them through to the next part of the world the Apokaliptians were hiding on.

* * *

Over at the aural mountains, Darkseid and Desaad walked together as they were heading towards the Father Drives to prepare a Boom Tube that would bring them back to Apokalips. Steppenwolf really thought he was in charge now that Darkseid was gone and that Apokalips was his to rule? The general thought wrong! Darkseid and Desaad could already imagine his horror when they stepped through the Boom Tube and arrived back on Apokalips to take back what was rightfully Darkseid's. The look on Steppenwolf's face would be something to cherish as far as the Apokaliptians were concerned. As Desaad led his leader to the Father Drives, the hooded man couldn't help but strike up a conversation with the Apokaliptian leader. He turned his head, his red eyes full of curiosity.

"So tell me O' mighty Darkseid, how has Grail been treating you?" he asked, "Hopefully not in a condescending and degrading manner. I'd hate to think your daughter has been undermining your authority in anyway."

"Grail has been treating me very well Deassd." Darkseid replied, "Although she has acted more like my parent than my child given my...devolution from man to child. She has mentored me well and fought tooth and nail to restore me to my former glory. However, I do fear that Grail maybe...losing her way." he added, his voice full of disappointment upon having to admit this.

"Must be the Amazon in her. She has never been fully one of us." Desaad muttered, "A hybrid of Amazon and Apokaliptian, as you know. Has she been trying to make you more pacifistic?"

Darkseid was quietly impressed with how well his top interrogator had caught on. He hadn't even explained the problem with Grail and yet Desaad had managed to guess immediately what he was implying. He always did pride himself on working with the smartest, as well as the strongest.

"You could say so, though it's more than likely maternal instincts on her part in trying to help me adjust to living on Earth, and it's understandable, sometimes you have to adapt to survive. Still, I'll be sure to help guide her back on the right path when we've retaken Apokalips. It shall be interesting, having my daughter by my side as I rule." Darkseid replied, going off in deep thought about his daughter as they reached the Father Drives.

"It shall be a new experience for you, my god king. Having a child as loyal and smart as her by your side should be a good thing for you. Still, if she does waver from our goal and ideals, I'm more than willing to...put her in her place, if you won't mind me saying." Dessaad replied, a smirk tugging at his lips at the thought of putting his interrogation skills to use again. Darkseid nodded with a smile.

"And that sort of help from you would be very welcome, Dessaad. As much as I care for Grail, I do not want to see her become as useless as Kalibak or as rebellious as Orion. They are disappointments compared to her." came the small leader's reply.

"That they are, my god king." Dessaad agreed as he grabbed a leaver.

The Father Drives had the look of an upside down spider with its legs up in the air, eight Father Boxes sitting on top of them and connected to each other through some techno organic metal that had red highlights from inside, connecting into a web like spiral aiming at the ceiling.

Darkseid stood tall with his hands behind his back, a pleased smile on his face as he looked up at the machinery. He could feel the burning fire inside of him as he realised he was now close enough to take back his planet from his uncle, and he was going to make him wish he never lived when he was done with him. Looking to Dessaad, he gave him a nod, gesturing for him to pull the leaver. Doing so, Dessaad stood behind Darkseid as red zaps of electricity darted over the connections from the Father Boxes, the electricity turning white as it hit the centre, a circular pulse going upwards as a portal of sorts began to open.

"And so it begins!" Dessaad called loudly as the humming of the Boom Tube gotten louder, raising his arms in the air and looking up to the air as if he was making a declaration to the world's beyond Earth, "Come, children of Apokalips! Leave this wasteful world and go home! Retake what was stolen from us! For Darkseid!" He declared, his teeth as hideously brown as ever while his red eyes lit up hungrily in the darkness.

* * *

Grail could hear the Boom Tube opening up as the Father Drives operated. This wasn't surprising as the Father Drives made a lot of noise and Desaad himself wasn't exactly being quiet right now. You could hear his boasting for miles away! Grail turned away, not interested in what was happening. She maybe half-Apokaliptian, but Apokalips was never home to her. She had grown up more accustomed to Earth than the homeworld of her father. Even Themiscyra could be considered more like home to her and yet, she hadn't lived there for long due to her mother having to run away and hide her from the world. Going home to Apokalips meant nothing to her. She flipped her hair aside, her mind full of thoughts. These thoughts had come to her earlier and she found herself dwelling on them again.

"I try to steer father to a better path towards peace, and all he wants to do is go home and overthrow that old fool Steppenwolf. Why must he waste his resources and armies like so?" she sighed, "Darkseid will be preferable to Steppenwolf of course, but now it looks as if even his rule won't be beneficial to us all. I would hate to have to rid ourselves of him but...maybe it really IS time that Apokalips had a new ruler. Maybe it is time for a world WITHOUT Darkseid..."

Her eyes glowed bright in the darkness of the mountain at the thought of ruling Apokalips, and now she was finding herself desiring to have the power of life and death itself in her hands in doing so...but she held off anymore talking as she heard a big lot of footsteps coming her way. Turning around, she could see the huge form of Mantis coming towards her, an alarmed look on his face as he came to her, holding his own Father Box in hand as it constantly blipped and flickered its lights on and off with a pinging sound coming from it.

"Grail, it's picking up Boom Tube activity, one not in use of Apokalips!" he informed, making Grail smirk as she noticed her Father Box was doing the same as his.

"Oh, it must be Diana and those children. I'll see to them, you summon up to thirty Parademons to come with us. I'll meet you there." she told him as she pulled up her Father Box so it could guide her to where the new Boom Tube was coming from, with Mantis bowing to her.

"Understood, your highness. I look forward to using my powers in a fight again..." he said gladly as he ran off to do as he was ordered.

* * *

Not far away, near an entry point that took them inside the mountain, Wonder Woman, Ladybug and Chat Noir appeared from their Boom Tube, the latter two gasping at how high they were on the mountain, with Chat Noir keeping hold of his lover's hand out of fear she would fall. Both looked on in shock at the landscape of the place and were glad to have taken the easy route to get here instead of climbing.

"Okay, I can see why they'd hide out here. Probably got a whole army of Parademons out here compared to what was in Paris!" Ladybug sighed as she relaxed herself, giving a soft squeeze to her lover's hand to show her appreciation. Wonder Woman nodded in agreement, but her eyes were full of seriousness as her ears picked up a slight humming sound from inside the mountain.

"That does not sound good..." she said to herself as she pulled her sword and lasso out, guiding the two teenagers after her as they went inside the opening that took them inside.

"Can you hear it too?" she asked, needing to be sure she wasn't being tricked by anything.

"Just about, Diana. Can you hear anything, Adrien?" Ladybug asked as she pulled out her Ladyblades while he readied the energy tips of his staff.

"Yeah, pretty clear. Sounds like a Boom Tube. We're not too late, are we?" he asked, worry in his voice over the possibility that their enemies were a step ahead of them

"They'd still have to wake up the best they've got here, so hopefully not." Ladybug assured her boyfriend with a smile as their weapons lit up the darkness of the mountain's tunnels.

After stealthily walking through the darkness, they shortly came across some form of activity in the tunnel, finding the techno organic tubing planted right into the walls around them while lights were placed in the ceilings of the tunnels. Wonder Woman trailed her hand on the tubing as the humming gotten louder, her face looking grim as it sunken into what this meant.

"I've seen this type of technology before and it's used for one thing, to make a Father Drive. You were right, Adrien, they've made a Boom Tube of their own, but a more powerful one." the Amazon told him, making him gulp at the possibility of fighting a huge wave of Parademons.

"But they can't have all gone now could they? We might still have a chance to destroy the nest." Ladybug suggested as they reached a clearing where a deep cleft was made beneath a set of natural bridges that would carry them to the other side. Inside the tunnels of the wall on the other side, there was a buzzing sound, telling them there could be Parademons hiding in them, giving them the opportunity to put their weapons to use.

As Wonder Woman was about to say something, something latched onto her shield while it sat on her back. Ladybug and Chat Noir gasped as they saw it was a circular device of sorts with pincer like legs latching hold of it, its light flickering with a beeping noise,

"Diana, it's a bomb, get it off!" Ladybug cried, her mind already full of fear over the damage the bomb could do.

Quickly, Wonder Woman tore the shield from her back and tossed it like a frisbee to the other side of the bridge, where it exploded in mid air harmlessly and the shield dropped to the ground on the floor.

However, for while they had been distracted, Ladybug received a hard kick to the back, sending her sprawling across the ground. Rolling to her feet, she gasped to find Grail was the one who kicked her, following her attack with an Omega Beam blast firing into Chat Noir, who blocked the blast with his staff but was driven back into a wall, and then Grail drove her foot into Wonder Woman's face as she came at her, knocking her back not keeping her down long as Wonder Woman got to her feet.

Grail smirked as her eyes lost their glow, eyeing the trio smugly.

"You just love playing this game, don't you? Still, you won't be winning this time." she assured as she walked towards the edge of the floor, pulling her blade out as the buzzing sound grew louder. And to add to it, there was a loud crunching of rock coming from the edge, alarming the heroes even more at this. Something more than Parademons was coming, and Grail was glad to have it.

"Diana, I'm sure you and the Justice League met him before. Children, say hello to Mantis."

Ladybug and Cat Noir found themselves staring aghast at the huge form of Mantis. He was quite a sight to behold from his insect like-face to his green costume and golden mask and the array of weapons he carried on him. They could easily believe he was from Apokalips too. Wonder Woman recognised him all too well, thinking back to the times she and the Justice League had fought the hideous bug and his armies. She pointed her sword at him, a look of death in her eyes.

"I shouldn't be surprised you're here too Mantis." she growled, "Nobody can create a Parademon army as well as you can."

"How right you are." Mantis crowed, "So who are the scrawny bags of flesh you've brought here? New members of the Justice League I haven't had the pleasure of fighting before?"

"All you need to know is you and your master, Darkseid, aren't leaving here without a fight!" Ladybug declared, "Grail has killed innocent people in my country and we're not gonna let her kill anymore for her father's sake!"

"I suggest you two back down and let us stop your father from leaving or fight." Wonder Woman said coldly, already knowing what her opponents were going to say anyway.

"You know us well enough to know we don't back down from a fight." Grail purred, "Mantis, I assume you wish to test your mettle against the children?"

"Gladly." Mantis crooned, his voice low and eager as he was keen to battle, "Dead or alive your highness?"

"Alive." Grail confirmed, "Father still thinks their powers can be of use to him. I'll take Wonder Woman."

"Looks like they wanna fight." Cat Noir muttered, "Why do the bad guys NEVER surrender when we give them the option to?"

Wonder Woman said nothing. She just dropped into a battle-ready stance, her legs like springs ready to launch her into battle.

"For the good of the Earth and its people, I'll put you all down!" the Amazon yelled, launching herself towards Grail like a lioness pouncing on a wildebeest, a savage battle cry accompanying the pounce.

Grail leaned back to avoid the slash of the blade and drove her spare hand into her gut, but this did little to stop Wonder Woman, who dropped to the ground and swiped Grail off her feet with her legs . The grey skinned hybrid rolled aside to avoid another slash from the Amazon's sword, getting back to her feet and engaging in a swiping battle with the heroic Amazon, who fought as fiercely as she could.

Ladybug leapt aside to avoid a blast fired from Mantis' hand, the energy of which tore through the area she was standing on and watched it crumble to dust.

"Okay, that's not good, especially with it coming from his hands!" she called to Chat Noir, who leapt onto the wall and darted across it to reach around to Mantis as he continued to fire at Ladybug.

"Get a taste of this, bug guts!" he yelled as he brought his staff down towards Mantis like a sword, only for the green like creature to calmly catch hold of the staff and use it to pull Chat Noir to him.

"So I hear you have the power of destruction? Wait till you see my powers can do to you!" he growled with a smirk as his fingertips glowed a darker green, clamping them around his head. As soon as they touched him, Chat Noir gasped and cried as he felt his head getting boiled as if acid was being poured on top of him.

"Let him go!" Ladybug yelled as she slashed at Mantis' legs from behind, cutting him deep enough to make him let Chat Noir go with a cry of agony. Dropping to his knees and clutching his head, Chat Noir cringed as he felt a shiver run from head to toe, the pain now gone. Ladybug looked at him with concern.

"What did he do to you?" she asked with a tone that matched her expression as Wonder Woman ploughed Grail up into the ceiling.

"I don't know, it was as if my whole head was melting and burning...just what the hell are his powers!?" He replied as he picked up his staff.

Mantis recovered and brought himself to full height, looking down at the French superheroes with a disgusting smug look.

"The exact opposite of matter itself, Anti-Matter. Whatever you throw at me, I can use against you with more devastating effect." he proudly declared as he tore two pieces of rock from the wall and tossed them at the two teenagers, who dodged the incoming debris and stood close to the darker parts of the area.

"Okay, don't want him touching me again." Chat Noir said bluntly now that they knew what kind of powers they were up against.

"Same here. We'll just have to try and knock him out or wear him down." Ladybug said in agreement.

As they dodged another blast fired from the insect like creature, Wonder Woman was kicked down from the ceiling by Grail and was shortly beaten by a flying set of fists from Grail after she caught up to her, many hitting her in the face with as much hatred Grail put into them. As they neared ground though, Wonder Woman shot her foot up and kicked Grail right in the stomach, sending her flying over her head and both crashed into the cliff face of the wall on the other side. Keeping a tight hold of her sword, Wonder Woman quickly dodged a blast of Omega Beams from where Grail had been kicked into, the grey skinned fighter tearing out from the wall and flying towards Wonder Woman, who quickly wrapped her lasso around Grail and tossed her across to the other side of the cleft, using her as a wrecking ball of sorts.

Grail grunted as she was slammed into the wall again, having had enough of this. She stuck her fingers in her mouth and whistled loudly as she looked down. Just as it dawned on Wonder Woman what she was doing, red fire blasts tore up to her, some shots hitting her and knocking her off balance in the air. Grail, now having the help she needed, pulled Wonder Woman down with the lasso and slammed her head hard against hers, sending the Amazon flying down deep into the darkness of the cleft and freeing Grail from the hold of the lasso.

Smirking, Grail stood from where she was on the rubble they had made, a few Parademons joining her side with their guns ready. However, they gasped in shock as another Parademons was tossed at them from the darkness below, its body ploughing into Grail, who tossed it off of her in frustration, only to see Wonder Woman flying at her with another Parademon in hand, throwing it right at her with great speed. It hit Grail and her gunned flyers, sending them crashing into the wall behind them.

Grail didn't care about the Parademons, though, just focusing on Wonder Woman as the Amazon came at her with her sword aimed right at her. Grail deflected it with a swipe of her arm and tried to punch her enemy, only to get her fist caught and twisted by Wonder Woman, who then pulled Grail close to her and shot up into the air again, several Parademons flying after them. Wonder Woman kept her arm pressed down on Grail's neck to choke her unconscious, but Grail wasn't having it, slamming her head into Wonder Woman's face hard enough to make her let go and then swung her foot into her face, sending her spinning into the higher wall of the room. Grail slid down the wall she was on and leapt after the Amazon, her fists ready to have another fight.

Everything was looking bleak for Ladybug and Chat Noir as the closer they got to Mantis, the harder it was to get away from him, given his size meant little problem for him in swiping the two away, and that was risky as he could poison them with a touch. Ladybug wasn't going to back down from this, swiping away at Mantis hotly with her Ladyblades, which made small gashes into his body but each one was healed up just a few seconds later.

However, Chat Noir now had the advantage against Mantis, who was now focused on Ladybug to even notice him. Running up to him from behind, Chat Noir slammed one end of his staff's glowing tips into Mantis' back, smirking as it burnt into him and making the creature cry out in agony.

"How does your medicine taste, huh!? Horrible, ain't it!?" he yelled gladly as he tried to twist it deeper into him. Ladybug swiped Mantis from below at his knees, bringing him down as she gotten past his legs, but Mantis had faced situations like this before, and he knew how to counter such an attack. He shot one leg back into Ladybug, sending her flying into Chat Noir and making him lose hold of his staff, both of them sprawling across the floor.

"Agh! Oh I'm sorry, Adrien!" Ladybug said after they came to a stop not far from edge of the floor.

"Don't be, you're not the bad guy here!" Chat Noir grunted as they both gotten back to their feet, still a lot of fight in them left to go against Mantis.

The insectoid-esque creature laughed confidently, this whole battle nothing more than a game to him. He didn't even look slightly fatigued despite the French heroes's best efforts against him.

"You're supposed to be the ones Darkseid wishes to keep alive due to the power you possess?" he sneered, "It must be a joke! You two aren't even worth the effort!"

"Oh you won't find us so underwhelming when we're through with you!" Ladybug declared.

She sheathed her blades and drew out her yo-yo, spinning it around at top speed. She spun it so quickly that it looked like she now had a helicopter blade just whirring around her arm. Mantis watched, not sure whether he was supposed to be intimidated or humoured by this sight. Ladybug drew her arm back and with a flick of the wrist, sent the yo-yo hurling towards Mantis. The Apokaliptian bug simply raised his hand and caught it, the weapon not even hurting him as it struck his palm. Ladybug only just had time to cry out in surprise before Mantis yanked on the yo-yo and dragged her off her feet directly into him. He raised his elbow at the level of Ladybug's head, the spotty heroine slamming straight into it face-first. To Ladybug, it felt like she'd just been thrown into a brick wall. The only thing on her mind was how much pain she was now in as she fell to the floor, her head spinning.

Cat Noir growled savagely and swiped at Mantis with his staff, successfully hitting him in the ankles and tripping him up. The bug was more surprised than hurt as he suddenly found himself down on his back staring up at the ceiling. The teen boy was clearly stronger than he gave him credit for if he was able to trip HIM up with just a swing of the staff! He picked himself up, only to cry out in a mixture of surprise and pain as he was violently clubbed in the eyes by Cat Noir's staff. The feline-themed hero swung the staff back and forth several times, making sure he never gave Mantis a single moment to fight back.

As he bombarded Mantis with staff blows, Ladybug picked herself up and rubbed her head. She regained her senses in time to see what her boyfriend was doing and quickly joined in. She spun her yo-yo around and wrapped it around Mantis's ankle. She tugged on it, tripping Mantis up again and then swinging him around like a ball on a string. Mantis was hurled around in a complete 180 degree circle and the moment he came towards Cat Noir, he gave his opponent one mighty, powerful staff blow that sent him hurling across the room, a bloodcurdling scream filling the area as he vanished into the shadows up ahead. Ladybug and Cat Noir heard him hit the floor up ahead, the impact so heavy that the ground shuddered and dust sprinkled from the ceiling. The French teens high-fived each other with delight, pleased with their efforts.

"Pound it!" they cried in unison.

"Bet Mantis thinks we're worth the effort NOW!" Ladybug sneered.

"ALMOST I'd say now." came a sudden reply that she hadn't expected to hear.

Looking up to the rock like ceiling, they could see the green eyes of Mantis glaring down at them. His hands latched hold of the ceiling and then glowed an acid like colour, spreading across his surroundings and allowing sharp, large pieces of rock to detach themselves from the ceiling. He watched them drop towards Ladybug and Chat Noir, both of whom spun their yo-yo and staff around them to form a dome shield of sorts to protect them from the falling debris.

Mantis wasn't having any of it, though, launching himself at them both like a rocket and tearing through the remaining falling debris, reducing them to small chunks of rubble as he neared them. Ladybug spun her yo-yo faster to strengthen her side of the shield, but it wasn't enough to stop Mantis from crashing into her and sending her and Chat Noir skidding across the ground ahead. It didn't help as a small group of Parademons turned their attention to the teenagers, flying towards them with their guns firing out at them. Chat Noir quickly spun his staff around again and steadily ran towards them while keeping his shield up, before spinning in their air and swatting down two of them with his staff, swiftly turning them to dust. He latched hold of the last one's head, yanking it forward to fly towards Mantis.

Ladybug avoided a double fisted slam from Mantis, running up on his arm and kicking him hard up the face as she swung past him. As he grunted in frustration, he was then bombarded with laser fire from the Parademon Chat Noir was flying towards him. Mantis simply raised his hand and fired a dangerous blast of anti-matter at the two. It destroyed the Parademon in a second, but Chat Noir leapt off of it in time to avoid the blast, coming at Mantis again. The Apokaliptian insect went to fire again, only for Ladybug to wrap her yo-yo around his hand and pull it down, startling him as Chat Noir swung his staff down on top of his head, the Cataclysym biting away at Mantis like acid eating through metal. The insect cried in agony at the pain, allowing Ladybug to pull him fully down to the floor as he clutched at his head, trying to put more concentration on his healing.

Snarling angrily as he opened his eyes, Mantis saw Chat Noir land just beside him with his back to him. Noticing his tail, Mantis lashed his hand out, making it glow brightly as he caught hold of Chat Noir's tail, firing the power up it to weaken him. The green energy zapped across Chat Noir, who cried loudly as he felt it tear into him, biting through his suit and skin hard while his eyes went wide as he clenched his teeth, trying not to cry from the pain.

Ladybug gasped in horror at this, seeing her boyfriend getting the life vaporised from him. This was something she'd hoped to never see, watching as his skin started to get tears in it and his nose began bleeding profusely. Not wanting to see him suffer anymore, Ladybug leapt at Mantis and slammed her yo-yo right onto his head, making him lose concentration on Chat Noir and letting him go, before pulling out her Ladyblades and slamming them into his hand, pinning him to the floor.

Going back to Chat Noir, Ladybug found him on his knees, his skin darkened and almost burnt while his eyes looked empty, and his ring now exposed due to the damage done to him. Fear running through her, Ladybug clutched hold of his torn biceps and tried to shake him out of his stare, blood streaming from the cuts he'd gotten.

"Adrien? Adrien, come on, can you hear me!? Oh gosh, please!" she cried, not noticing Mantis tearing out the Ladyblades from his hand. Seeing where they were and how close they were to the edge, he smirked as his hands glowed, clamping them down onto the floor and staring on at the two as large tears tracked towards them at a great speed.

Ladybug was too focussed on Chat Noir to notice what Mantis was doing, looking deeply into the eyes of her lover to see if there was any signs of life. She couldn't lose him, especially now. She swore she'd never let him get hurt in such a gruesome way again, his life was tied to hers. Smoothing his face, Ladybug bumped her nose against his own as tears came out from her eyes, pleading for life to come from his eyes.

A crumble then caught her attention, and that was when she found the floor around her had now been split to many different sections by massive numbers of tears that led from her to Mantis, who stood up with a smirk.

"Do hope you survive the next bit. If you do, you'll remember the pain!" he told her in a gleeful voice, shoving his foot down onto the ground in front of him.

And with just that, like the contents of a box full of many different toys and belongings being slid out sideways, the floor gave way going southern westwards as it fell down into the canyon below, taking Ladybug and Chat Noir with it.

Clutching hold of her boyfriend was difficult for Ladybug as all sorts of rubble was coming down on top of them. She tried to reach for her yo-yo but then remembered she turned them into the Ladyblades, telling her she was lost without them now. Crying loudly as they entered the darkness, Ladybug closed her eyes and held onto Chat Noir as they went lower into the canyon, getting covered in many pieces of rubble.

From where she was, Wonder Woman was up in the ceiling avoiding powerful punches from Grail, but caught sight of the small figures of Ladybug and Chat Noir going into the dip, her heart tightening at the sight of it.

"NO!" she cried, dodging another punch from Grail, before twisting her arm behind her back and kicked her down towards the floor like a rock.

Adrenaline pumping through her, Wonder Woman brought her fists up as she flew down towards the pair as they began to disappear. She wasn't going to lose them, she promised herself to protect them from any danger that came their way, and they were not going to die. She had to hold on to that, to keep on holding onto the light.

Planting her feet deep into the falling slide of rubble, Wonder Woman began to run towards the pair, her arm outstretched desperately to try and catch hold of them in the hopes of her speed getting there quicker. But just as she began to get closer, a loud buzzing sound came to her from above, making her look up to see a large number of Parademons swarming on top of her.

Pulling her sword out again, Wonder Woman desperately swatted away at the winged creatures when she jumped up after them, trying to cut them down to get them away from Ladybug nd Chat Noir. Each slice she made caused a big splatter of green blood and guts from them, even ripping a few wings out of some of them to make it quicker, but there was still too many.

"Outnumbered...but I can't let Ladybug and Cat Noir die!" Wonder Woman cried as she effortlessly cleaved another Parademon in half with her sword.

She tried once again to run after the French heroes, but found herself barely able to progress as the swarm of Parademons continued crowding her, clawing at her and trying to grab hold of her so they could rip her apart. Wonder Woman refused to give up, continuously hacking away at the Parademons and trying to get past them. But she soon had something else to be concerned about for Grail rushed right past her, leaving her to deal with the Parademons, and headed towards the falling Ladybug and Cat Noir, a twisted smile on her face.

"Don't worry yourself about the children princess!" she called back to her, "I'll take care of them for you!"

Wonder Woman just caught sight of Grail and this was enough to give her more strength to rip her way out of the swarm of Parademons trying to tear her down. Pushing forward with her sword, slicing through them with green blood and guts splattering across her vision of many of the vile dark green creatures, she soon enough found herself back into the open air. Wasting no time at all, she shot downwards after Grail, who was nearing the limp forms of Ladybug and Chat Noir, both of whom were now unconscious among the slide of rubble after it had came to a stop seconds ago.

Flying around Grail as fast as she could, Wonder Woman slammed down in between the unconscious teens and the Amazon hybrid, who was just inches from crashing into her. Crossing her arms together, Wonder Woman slammed her wrist bracelets together, creating a blinding light that threw Grail off course, making her fall onto her side with her eyes closed to block out the light. When it died down, Wonder Woman followed it up with a kick to the face, sending Grail rolling down the slide slightly, only to pull herself back up with her own blade.

"I won't let you hurt them, you hear me!?" Wonder Woman yelled as she brought her lasso out, standing tall over the unconscious forms of Ladybug and Chat Noir. Grail just smirked as she pulled herself up, eyeing the two teenagers.

"You can't protect the world without a few deaths, Diana. But don't worry about those two, we will take good care of them for a little while." she assured as she aimed her sword at Wonder Woman.

Not wanting to listen to her anymore, Wonder Woman shot her lasso out and wrapped it around the sword aimed at her. Grail had wanted this though, shooting herself forward and throwing her sword into her other hand, landing a powerful punch into her opponent's face. After that, she went in to stab her in the stomach with her sword. Deflecting it with her knee, the Amazon received a slight cut across the shoulder. Clenching her teeth to cope with the cut, Wonder Woman head butted Grail, only for her sight to go completely red as Grail shot her in the face with her Omega Beams, sending the Amazon flying over Ladybug and Chat Noir. Impacting the wall behind her left a big cleft in it, but Grail wasn't finished with Wonder Woman yet, she wanted her out of the way and to make sure she wasn't going to spring back from this anytime soon.

Running at her with great speed, Grail punched her up the chin and sent her tearing up through the wall. Leaping after her, Grail could see she still had her eyes closed from the blast of the Omega Beams, allowing her to grab her by the shoulder belt, turn a complete circle and toss her up towards the ceiling, her eyes firing off another blast that slammed right into Wonder Woman. The mighty blast sent her flying all the way out of the mountain, digging a tunnel up with pieces of rubble falling from its remains as she ploughed through it.

Stopping the blast after being pleased at all she did, Grail turned to look down at the bodies of Ladybug and Chat Noir, who were surrounded by the surviving Parademons, who had their guns aimed at them in case they were about to wake up. Smiling, Grail looked to Mantis.

"Glad for your help, father will reward you well. And thank you for not killing them, I wouldn't mind talking to them when they wake up." she said as she went towards the body, taking pleasure in seeing how beaten and weak they were. That was how she liked her prisoners, completely defeated and beaten to a pulp.

"They weren't much of a challenge." Mantis sniffed, "Are you sure they're even worth keeping alive at this point? I doubt they're really going to be of much use to Darkseid!"

"THEY won't be useful to him. But their powers WILL." Grail informed the bug, "Father believes their "Miraculouses" will be the power he needs to restore himself to his former glory. If that doesn't work, then they'll truly be of no use to him and thus, we can dispose of them."

Just as she'd finished saying that, the hybrid heard the sound of footsteps approaching. She wasn't at all surprised when she turned and saw that said footsteps belonged to Darkseid. The Apokaliptian leader's face was neutral but Grail could see that he had curiosity in his eyes. She already knew why he was here.

"I heard the sound of a battle just moments ago." Darkseid said plainly, "What was happening out here my daughter?"

"You had unwelcome guests come so me and Mantis took care of them." Grail announced, "Wonder Woman is hopefully dead at last. As for her associates..."

She turned around and picked up Ladybug and Cat Noir, grabbing hold of an arm each and hosting them up as if she was presenting a pair of prized turkeys she'd bought at the butcher's. The two unconscious teens dangled in her grasp, completely still and a total deadweight in the hands of Grail. She could've been carrying a sack of feathers in each hand as far as she was concerned. Darkseid took this in with barley-disguised satisfaction. The smile on his face was more maniacal and gleeful than it ever had been since his reduction to child-form. What a happy turn-out this was! Returning home to Apokalips and now he had the Miraculous holders in his grasp! With any luck, he would finally be rid of this wretched childlike form and be restored to normal, truly back to his former glory and back on the throne at last! Despite his delight, his response hid most of his excitement as he spoke.

"Well done Grail. Well done indeed..." he purred, "You've got me those children and their Miraculous. Once we return to Apokalips, we shall see how much power they truly possess and if they're enough to finally restore me to normal."

Grail nodded in agreement.

"Yes indeed, father, and now the power of life and death is in our hands. The rest of the universe will bow to you..." she trailed off as she carried Ladybug and Chat Noir towards him.

"And then to me..." she whispered, her new plan already forming in her head, her eyes looking to the Miraculouses on the teenagers she now had. And already the whole world began to lose any hope it had left now. With one of its heroes incapacitated and two in Darkseid's custody, there as nothing for the world to be hopeful about anymore...

* * *

 _ **Well things went bad VERY quickly. Ladybug and Cat Noir are captured and are gonna be taken to Apokalips! Wonder Woman has been blasted out of a mountain and may or may not be alive! What will happen when the Miraculous holders awake on Apokalips? Is Wonder Woman alive? Will Darkseid be restored at last and reclaim his throne?**_

 _ **Tune in next time as we take a trip to Apokalips...**_


	10. Chapter 9: Apokalips Now

_Chapter 9: Apokalips Now_

Wonder Woman felt as if she'd been sent flying through a hundred brick walls. The Amazon Princess had been sent flying out of the mountains that Darkseid and Grail had retreated to and had crashed down heavily, the impact enough to render her unconscious for a short time. She was just coming to, already feeling the impact of her battle with Grail as consciousness returned to her. She winced as her bones began to knit and her muscles ached. It had been a long time since Wonder Woman had felt such pain. She got up onto her hands and knees, brushing strands of hair out of her eyes. It took her a second or two to remember where she was and why she was here. She looked up at the mountain, and then glanced back down to where she currently was. Grail had not only sent her crashing through the mountain, but the Amazon had landed directly on the ground at the bottom. She was surrounded by trees and clumps of grass where she was now. There was a crater about the width of a truck where she had landed. Wonder Woman picked herself up, cricking her neck and rubbing her shoulders.

"By Hera, I feel like I was thrown off Mount Olympus itself..." she muttered.

She glanced back up at the mountain, clenching her fists in determination.

"Ladybug and Cat Noir...they'll be on Apokalips already if I don't hurry!" Wonder Woman exclaimed, "I hope I'm not too late..."

She hadn't even finished speaking before she broke into a spring and threw herself up into the air in one, giant, graceful leap that carried her effortlessly to the hole in the mountain she'd been sent flying out of, the wind whistling by her. It was like performing the biggest bunny rabbit leap in the world. In a matter of seconds, Wonder Woman landed just outside the mouth of the hole, keeping her balance well so she didn't fall over backwards. Once steady, the superheroine leapt down the hole, finding herself once again in the darkness of the mountain caves and a step closer to Darkseid and Grail. As soon as she emerged through the tunnel and landed on the ground, she ran forwards as fast as her legs would carry her. Wonder Woman prayed with every step she sprinted that she would reach the teen heroes in time.

Coming back into the room they were fighting in earlier, Wonder Woman stopped to observe the changes made to it due to the great damage it took from the earlier battle. Seeing that the bridge had fallen into the cleft below, Wonder Woman looked across to the tunnel opposite and relaxed herself, focusing her ears to hear for any sounds of life or activity.

Her hearing paid it off as she heard the groaning and booming of the Boom Tube the Father Drive was making, telling her she couldn't be far from all of them now. Running forward and leaping across the deep gap in the floor, Wonder Woman reached the opposite side with little trouble and kicked up her shield from where it had been thrown earlier. Rushing into the tunnel at top speed, the Amazon could see she was being taken up higher into the mountain and she was hoping to her pantheon she wasn't going to be too late.

Her run shortly ended as the tunnel brought her to a large circular room, where she was greeted by the sight of the Father Drive at full power, the last number of Parademons flying into the Boom Tube it was making. Frowning as she tried to block out the light of the Boom Tube, Wonder Woman could see the large figure of Mantis standing near one of the structures holding the Father Boxes.

Keeping her eyes focused on him, Wonder Woman pulled her lasso out from her belt and moved towards him, intending to pull him down with her lasso and jump into the Boom Tube. But it seemed even that wasn't going to work for one plant of her foot caused a piece of the floor to crumble from the pressure, and it was loud enough that it made Mantis snap his head up in slight alarm, but his body relaxed as his head turned, his eyes gleeming the sight of Wonder Woman.

"Ah, so the Amazon is still alive. Grail always underestimated you." he said tauntingly as he turned to her, standing in a position that seemed as if he was imitating Darkseid. Wonder Woman wasn't having it though, glaring at him from where she was.

"What have you done with them, Mantis? Are they alive!? Tell me!" she demanded, anger and fear well mixed into her voice.

Smirking as he saw how she was taking this, Mantis crunched his fingers and could feel his hands heating up with power.

"On Apokalips, Diana. Don't worry, Darkseid will make sure they're well at home there." he assured as he then clamped his glowing hands onto the claw like pillars behind him, his power spreading like water stretching across an old mound of dirt, turning it to small chunks of rubble, taking the Father Boxes with them.

Gasping in horror at this, Wonder Woman watched as the Boom Tube was cut off and vanished in a second, turning the room dark. Now feeling hot with anger, the Amazon shot her lasso out around his arm and tossed him right across the room, sending him crashing into a techno organic tube in the wall and leaving him planted there.

Turning away from him, Wonder Woman gotten out her tracer and turned it on, not seeing Mantis getting a hand free. When the screen came on, the Amazon began to give out her instructions.

"Chrome Stone, Boom Tube me to Apokalips onto the n-AGH!"

The princess was stopped short of her sentence as a burning blast of green tore into the tracer, turning it to rust while the liquid of the screen squirted out like juice from a drink box. Turning around, Wonder Woman side stepped to avoid a punch from Mantis, who glowed his claws brightly as he tried to throw a kick at her but was deflected from a block of her shield.

He swiped at her with his claws at this but Wonder Woman blocked the attacks with her bracelets and shield, before shooting her foot out and kicking him right in the shin, making him drop to a knee. However, he grabbed hold of her right hand and pulled her forward, head butting her hard. Seeing the Amazon dazed from this, Mantis tossed her up into the ceiling, sending her crashing into large pieces of rock.

It was little to no trouble for the Amazon, who pulled herself out in time to fly out of the way from another blast. Flying in a circular path, Wonder Woman tossed her shield down at him with a lot of strength and it slammed into him like a bullet clipping someone on the shoulder. A crunch of bones was heard and Mantis cried out as his arm came out of place.

Landing opposite him, Wonder Woman readied her lasso and eyed him carefully as she read his actions over what he was going to do next. His groaning gotten louder as he felt his power heat through his right arm, shooting it out at Wonder Woman, who dodged the incoming attack and flew up at him with her fists aiming for her chest. Mantis, however, used his good arm to block her punch but it drove him towards the tunnel entry. Grunting, he slammed his head into her, but this attack didn't have as much strength as the last one did.

Not badly hurt from the hit, Wonder Woman slid under him and shot to her feet, wrapping her lasso around his neck from behind and strengthening her grip as she jumped over him and landed far in front of him with the lasso trailing back to him, his body now in a weak shape with him leaning over one side with his other arm lifeless from where it was out of place.

Seeing she now had the upper hand, Wonder Woman steadied herself as she looked at him.

"Tell me again, Mantis; how can I defeat you?" she asked rather normally, as if this was a thing she'd do with most of her enemies when she had them in her lasso.

Mantis tried to resist the magical spell of the lasso, not wanting to give away secrets to the enemy. He wasn't going to tell her, even if the lasso wanted him to! But try as he might, even a bug like himself couldn't fight off the influence of the mystical weapon. As he tried, he just found himself feeling immense pain as if somebody was squeezing his organs from the inside. Reluctantly, he found himself answering Wonder Woman's question.

"H...h...hit...hit me...hard in the head!" he grunted, his voice full of restraint as he tried not to answer.

That was all Wonder Woman needed to hear. Knowing exactly what would constitute for a "hard hit to the head", the Amazon slammed both her bracelets together, doing so directly next to Mantis's head. The concussive force that exploded from the slamming of her bracelets hit Mantis like a punch to the face, throwing him off his feet and across the room. He felt as if his head was about to be torn off his shoulders. He spiralled through the air like a plane about to crash land and he hit the wall at the other side of the room head-first. The blow was enough for half of his body to crash through the wall, make cracks in it and cause a few fragments of rock to shower down from the ceiling. The Apokaliptian lay still on the floor, unmoving. Wonder Woman smirked, pleased that she'd managed to knock him out. At least he wouldn't be a bother to her any longer.

Now Mantis was subdued, Wonder Woman approached him and quickly began wrapping the Lasso of Truth around her enemy's hands and feet. She wrapped it around tightly and used as many knots as she could to tie it as tight as possible. The lasso was long so she was able to wrap plenty of it around his hands and feet. Once she was finished, she left Mantis lying on his side, the bug still unconscious and completely still aside from the rise and fall of his chest and stomach as he breathed. Satisfied and confident he couldn't escape, Wonder Woman seized hold of his Father Box and looked at it with observant eyes. One of the most powerful pieces of technology in the galaxy, and she now had it in her hands! It wasn't every day that somebody outside of Apokalips held a Mother or Father Box.

"Once you wake up Mantis, I'll make you use this to take me to Apokalips." Wonder Woman declared, "And if I get there and the children are harmed in anyway...then may the gods have mercy on you."

* * *

Apokalips.

The very name of the planet was enough to tell anybody that it was a hellish place to be. Many people imagined what the world would look like after doomsday happened. Few would imagine it would look like Apokalips, but its appearance would be a fitting metaphor for the end of the world. Skies of hellish red, flame pits that spouted about like water geysers on Earth, legions of slaves under Darkseid's control and breaking their backs day and night working for him and the most grotesque creatures that the universe had ever seen were just some of what Apokalips had to offer. The very sight of the planet was like an industrial wasteland. Anyone visiting often questioned why Darkseid would want to rule this planet, or why anybody would even tease the idea of usurping his position.

This planet had seen many horrors of wars even when itself was like hell. Not everyone on the planet looked up to Darkseid or his family and army. Many of the poor were terrified of him and went as far as living underground to avoid getting snatched from whatever life they had left and turned into Parademons. Girls of many ages went to great lengths to hide too, otherwise they'd be taken from their own families and sent to Granny Goodness' Orphanage, and it was anything else but good or what was tied to good.

The planet was now under the rule of Steppenwolf and while the constant raids on many civilians had ceased, it turned into more of a militaristic regime. Posters of Steppenwolf plastered all over the cities, giant dogs patrolling up and down the streets and wastelands with his own Parademons and Cavalry Men taking part too. They just kept control and had a balanced amount of fear over the civilians, making them create more weapons for the uncle of Darkseid, as he saw more use of them than just turning them into mindless Parademons. Unlike the Parademons that served Darkseid, Steppenwolf's own ones were dressed in black and red armour to match his own, showing clearly he wanted his image everywhere.

"A lot more quieter than what it's usually like. I have to say, I'm a little impressed, must have done something about the resistance. But he and this world will know better when I've taken the throne back" Darkseid softly stated as he looked up from the small bunker he was in, Grail by his side.

"Yes, father. Once you have the throne back, this world will remember its true ruler. No one else but you." she said, almost forcing the pleasure in talking to her father in such a way.

"Yes. I won't have to keep living in such a pathetic lifestyle much longer. The Dark Ways will be good use for us though, daughter. You did well in choosing this as our starting point." Darkseid replied as he took to the stairs and stepped back into the dimly lit corridors of the Dark Ways, an underground labyrinth that was abandoned a long time ago since the last war with the New Gods of New Genesis. A lot of Parademons had filled the labyrinth's many tunnels, all of them going down each one to get ready to begin their attack on Steppenwolf's own forces on the surface.

"And how are the little pups you have, my dear? They still breathing? I'd hate for them to be damaged." Darkseid asked, glancing back at Grail, who had hold of Tikki and Plagg in the elbow of one arm like she was holding an infant. They were both unconscious from the beating their owners had taken but didn't look hurt, just slight groans coming from their tiny bodies.

"They are just fine, father. They better be hungry for when they wake up, even just a small crumb of food will be enough to help get you back to power" Grail assured as she looked down at them with a smirk, still finding it hard to see these two creatures held the power of life and death in them.

"Good to know, my daughter. Once my power is back, we can begin our attack on my uncle. And when he is dead, I will find good use for these Kwamis." Darkseid said with a pleased smile as Desaad came towards them from the darkness of the tunnel they were walking down. His smile was as big and unsettling as ever, going well with his red eyes as they lit up from under his robe. Giving them both a bow, he spoke in a pleasant tone.

"My God King, our guests are just waking up. Would you like to greet them before we begin our attack?" He asked, being the loyal servant he was to Darkseid, who nodded.

"Yes, Desaad take us to them. I sense a lot of fear from the female and a lot of rage and anger from the boy. They could be very useful even in their non powered forms. I hope you kept their Miraculouses safe?" he asked as he and Grail followed after Desaad as he led them down the tunnel.

"Yes. They are very odd in colour and size, but that is to be accepted in their current condition. I look forward to looking into them later." Desaad replied as they then came up another lot of stairs that took them to a small, concrete room that had given way to the organic material of the planet, hard soil and rot having taken over what was once a well built room that saw a better era of Apokalips.

Inside were two Parademons standing next to two chairs that had strapped down two occupants, both of whom were groaning as they began to regain consciousness from the beating they had taken on Earth. The Parademons kept two shock batons ready, eyeing Marinette and Adrien with their teeth clicking while their eyes were full of hunger, looking as if they wanted to eat them. Both of the teens had removed their jacket and hoodie before they went into the Catacombs and this just pleased Desaad more. The creepy Apokaliptian loved seeing more fresh flesh presented to him without doing the work of removing their clothes, and he didn't see the need of going further.

By the looks of it, Adrien's injuries had been fully healed over as if he wasn't hurt at all. Darkseid took notice of this and hummed as he eyed Adrien with a sharp look.

"He looks a lot better than how he was earlier. Do you know how this happened, Desaad?" Darkseid asked as looked over Adrien to see if there was any other injury.

"He seemed to have been healed by the ring as I removed it. Almost instant from what I saw of its power. Which means you'll be given your adult body a lot quicker than what we thought, my God King" Desaad replied as he looked at the Miraculouses with interest.

Grail handed the unconscious bodies of Tikki and Plagg to Desaad.

"Keep hold of them, these two need to be awake now." she said smugly as she caught hold of the loose hair of Marinette, pulling her up by a scrunch hold. The French bluenette groaned at the sudden pull and felt a painful wave go through her head, but it was enough to make her wake up.

"Ugh...I...uh...oh, Adrien...Adrien?" Marinette gotten out as she opened her eyes. Her vision was blurry at first but after blinking a few times, it cleared and she was greeted with a sight she hoped to never see. Whatever Marinette imagined a gloomy dungeon of hell would look like, it was right there, full of red eyed creatures, candles, dark lighting and full of those she feared and hated, getting a big amount of it when Grail turned her head to her face. She was smiling darkly.

"Ah, so the Ladybug is awake. I have to say, for someone of your age, I'm somewhat impressed but disappointed by what you've shown, human. Still, since you're awake, we need to get you up to speed. Welcome to Apokalips. Let that settle in." she said smugly, finishing her sentence with a whisper as she pulled Marinette closer to her face.

"Apokalips?!" Marinette shrieked, her face turning white with terror, "Oh gosh, no! This can't be happening! How did we end up here?!"

Grail just smirked, enjoying the girl's terror as she released her hair. There was something about children expressing fear that always entertained her.

"All you need to know is that you're here, and your precious Wonder Woman can't help you now child." Grail sneered, "And don't both trying to use your Miraculous powers. We have them in our hands..."

She motioned over to Desaad, who held out a hand to show Marinette that he now had her earrings and Adrien's ring in it. Upon seeing them, Marinette squirmed in her restraints as she tried to make a grab for them.

"No, you can't! Please! You must give them back to us!" she pleaded.

Her hands and feet twisted as they tried to slide free of the clamps holding them down. They wouldn't budge. Marinette was going nowhere. Desaad just laughed at his prisoner, feeling sadistic pleasure at the sight of her worried and struggling. Why were prisoners so entertaining when they foolishly tried to escape.

"Don't fret so much dear human, we won't misuse their powers in any way." Desaad reassured, though his voice betrayed any attempt at sounding sincere, "Although, I suppose it's a matter of perspective when the word "misuse" is brought into it."

"It's irrelevant what the children think." Darkseid dismissed, "What matters is that we now have the means to reclaim my throne and bring down my uncle. Oh yes...what I will do to him when I get my hands on Steppenwolf..." he purred, his eyes gleaming at the thought of his own hands constricting his uncle's neck and snapping it in two.

He then strode over to Marinette, who tried to look away from him. Darkseid merely grabbed her face and forced her head around so she was now staring directly into his fiery red eyes. Marinette's heart pounded furiously like an animal trying to break out of its cage. If death had a face, she was convinced it would look like Darkseid. There was something about those blood red eyes that just screamed anger, hate and death all at once. And yet they reminded her of something. Once again, Marinette found herself replaying the end of her nightmare in which she was engulfed by red beams coming from a fiery Earth. Clearly it had been warning her of Darkseid this whole time. How sickening it was to acknowledge that she was not only in his grasp, but possibly about to see her nightmare unfold.

"You my child, will be well-induced into the life you see around you." Darkseid crooned, his voice low and rumbling like a tremor in the Earth, "You and your male accomplice will never see your home again. You will accept this new status quo you're in. And you will accept that you're no longer free to make your own choices or live your own lives. On here, on Apokalips, there exists only my will. Everyone on this planet knows, that Darkseid IS."

"Y-your u-uncle c-clearly doesn't think so!" Marinette retorted, trying not to show much fear, "He's th-the main r-reason you're here at a-all isn't he? S-so you can r-reclaim your throne from him?"

"Yes, and he'll soon come to regret making that decision." Darkseid snapped, "All thanks to you and your friend's mystical gems of power. Speaking of which..." his eyes narrowed as he gave Marinette a disapproving look over, his blood-red orbs sweeping over the girl.

"It is incredulous to believe that a scrawny, skinny, under-developed sack of meat like yourself and your friend could come into possession of these items. Your appearance suggests an age that doesn't even excel or match the ones that call themselves "the Teen Titans". Is Earth so desperate that it is willing to rely on juveniles such as YOU two?" he crowed, his face curling into a hideous, condescending sneer of mockery as if the whole ideas was too ridiculous to believe.

Marinette tried not to lose herself in the deep red ocean of his red eyes, as if they were sucking her in and drowning out her confidence. But...he was wrong. Yes, she and Adrien were young, probably the youngest heroes on Earth, but she and him had proven all their worth for the Miraculouses. She remembered all that Diana taught her, to never give the enemy the satisfaction of losing or coming to be stripped of her confidence. She couldn't.

"You...you don't know what you're talking about!" Marinette shot back, baring her clenched teeth to try and get back at Darkseid in a vain attempt to scare him. He looked unaffected by what she just said but let her face go from his hand, looking at her with interest.

"Well, do tell me then. Give me something I can learn about." he said in a really relaxed tone.

Marinette felt her head slowly heat up as she felt her confidence grow. She had his attention and she could now by time for a likely chance to get the upper hand over him, as out of the corner of her eye, she could see her boyfriend was looking at her from where his head was hung over, his eyes bright enough for her to see he was going to try something. Part of Marinette wanted to cry out her joy of seeing Adrien was okay, but that would stop any chance of him trying for an escape. Looking back to Darkseid as quickly as her eyes left him, Marinette glared at him, looking as if she was ready to have a fighting match with him.

"You wanna know something? Yeah, we are young, probably too young to be doing this. But do you want to know why we do our hero work? Because we care, because it's right and it's showing the world there's good stuff out there when there's bad stuff too, and that's how we got those Miraculouses because we did simple, nice stuff! And that's another thing you've come at a loss for, because you know Tikki? The red Kwami? One of her former holders was Queen Hippolyta, and you know who she's the mother of, yeah?" she was almost yelling this out, her eyes darting back to see one Parademon was getting closer to Adrien, who laid his left hand out open, ready to fight his way out.

Grail had raised an eyebrow in interest at what Marinette said though and looked to the unconscious forms of Tikki and Plagg, her eyes narrowing in interest.

"She's familiar with the Amazons? No wonder Diana has tried so hard to protect you." she stated.

"I'm not finished!" Marinette then yelled before Grail could go any further, getting an annoyed frown from the grey skinned hybrid.

"Seeing a pattern? Tikki and Plagg can only work for good people, they don't get bound to those that want to bring about death and sadness, so like it or not, Darkseid, you'll be stuck the way you are, because there's not a single piece of good in you. You lost even before you came after us." Marinette said with a more confident look to her, having kept her hearing up to notice the Parademon was now a lot closer to Adrien's hand. It might've been strapped to the arm of the chair, but it could still freely cause damage to their enemies now that the baton was inches from his hand.

Darkseid was almost alarmed at what Marinette said to him, his eyes wide and his hands at his sides, almost as if he was in shock. And that was enough to tell Marinette her plan had been paying off. Given he was living in the Catacombs for a while, he wouldn't have heard Joker used the Miraculouses, and this would be enough to make him see his need for the Miraculouses was for nothing. Looking down at his feet, Darkseid closed his eyes bitterly, confusing Grail as she came to his side.

"Do you actually believe this girl, father? She's feeding you nothing but-

"Grail, don't...I know when someone is lying. She's clearly earned her right to use the power of the Kwamis and her Miraculous and will make that clear to anyone...and it's all come down to this. An escape attempt." he then said, his face going back to its unaffected look, but a small smirk on his face.

Gasping in horror at this, everything was almost a blur for Marinette as what followed was only more of a gut punch that told her it was for nothing. Adrien shot his head up and slammed it into the chin of the Parademon, knocking it back and allowing him to get hold of its baton, turning his wrist to whack it at Darkseid, who blocked it with a raised arm. Adrien's eyes were full of rage as he began to wildly hit at Darkseid, who kept blocking his attacks easily.

"YOU KEEP AWAY FROM HER YOU MONSTER! YOU'LL LOSE, YOU HEAR ME!?" he snarled wildly, shocking Marinette at how angry he was, but it was beginning to settle into her this was getting noticeable since that night with Hawk Moth's reveal.

The Parademon came at him again, but Adrien swung the baton back at it, managing to hit it in the chest and gave it a shock, but that was as far as he gotten once Grail came over and punched him hard across the face, sending blood flying from his mouth and nose, making him drop the baton. Grail wasn't done as she grabbed his face and slammed his head into the wall behind, making him cry out in pain and anger. Tears shot up in Marinette's eyes at this, hating the very sight of Adrien suffering.

"STOP! DON'T HURT HIM, PLEASE!" she begged, her legs shaking and her heart beating faster as Grail pulled up Adrien's hair and held his face in her other hand.

"He already is hurt, so you're late to tell me that. Don't even know how he puts up with such a cowardly hysteric like you." she taunted, making Adrien spit out some blood as his eyes narrowed.

"Its called love, you bitch!" he spat, making her roughly shove him out of her grip and stand back over with her father, who smirked.

"I knew you were lying, girl. Our technology does keep us up to date of you and your friend's activities on Earth. I know the insane clown of Gotham used your Miraculouses. A bold but foolish attempt, I have to say." he said pleasantly, only to get a glare from Marinette in response. He then looked to Adrien, thinking back to what he just said.

"Is that what it is? Love? Oh before you both know it, you won't even know what it means." Darkseid taunted as he and Desaad walked over to Adrien, who glared at them almost as if he was gonna kill them right where they were, his face full of blood just making it even more likely he would do it.

"Ah yes, the hate is almost burning from him. His lover will be easy to destroy, but this boy? He's full of anger, self hatred, disgust and rage. He might make a brilliant warrior yet." Desaad assured Darkseid as he looked at Adrien.

"You've interested me the most, having the power of death quite literally in your hands. And what of you, boy? If Desaad can sense all these emotions, a lot of trauma has come your way...no parents to love you? Feeling as if you've lived a lie all your life? Is that why you so desperately cling to your love for this girl? Is she the only one to have made herself true to you? Yes...without her, you're nothing. Nothing but a waste of humanity." Darkseid said soothingly as if he was giving comfort to the suffering boy, who's eyes turned glassy at what he was being told.

"LEAVE HIM ALONE! YOU KEEP AWAY FROM HIM, YOU'RE FULL OF POISON!" Marinette yelled angrily, utterly livid her boyfriend was being put through this by Darkseid.

Darkseid ignored the girl's pleas and turned away from Adrien, leaving him utterly drained of any energy he may have had left in him. His taunts had cut through him like a knife and he was unable to feel anything but deep sorrow as the Apokaliptian's words hung over him, echoing in his head. Marinette could see the grief and sadness in his eyes and wished desperately that she could run over to him and hug him to comfort her boyfriend. She glared at Darkseid, who was looking at Tikki and Plagg as they lay in Grail's arms.

"We've delayed long enough daughter. I'm ready to possess the powers of those gems." he announced.

Grail complied, putting a hand over the Kwamis and shaking them awake.

"Wake up little ants! Father wishes to use you both." she sneered.

The Kwamis were both shaken out of their slumber, their huge eyes opening up slowly. They both quickly realized who they were looking at and shot out of her arms in a panic. They didn't get far before Grail grabbed hold of the two Kwamis and held on tightly to them. They both struggled, trying to worm their way out of her grasp but to no avail. Grail's grip was like an iron-vice.

"Let go of us!" Tikki croaked feebly.

"We ain't gonna work for Darkseid if that's what ya think!" Plagg concurred.

"You're in no position to refuse anything." Grail snapped, "You're on Apokalips now. Darkseid's word is LAW here. Whatever he wants, he gets!"

"And now you two are wake, I can use your gems to restore my full power and take back what is rightfully mine." Darkseid declared, "But first, you both need to eat. It is my understanding that after a power down, a Kwami needs food to restore their power for another use of the Miraculouses."

"Just try us. We won't swallow a mouthful!" Tikki spat defiantly.

"We'd rather starve than work for you!" Plagg cried, "Especially me! I can't bear to be fused with another evil being like before!"

That made Marinette and Adrien stare at each other in confusion. Plagg had been fused with an evil being before? When? And who was he referring to? He'd never told Adrien this before and Tikki had never indicated as such to Marinette. When this was over, they would maybe have to have a talk with Plagg to learn more. Grail ignored the Kwamis' defiance and barked over at a Parademon.

"You there! Fetch some food for these insects!"

Plagg tried to wriggle free of the grip, even smacking his little arms against the hand that held him ever so tightly "If I get fused with someone like you, don't think I won't try to kill you, I'll blow you up from inside your soul" he warned, only to make Darkseid chuckle as the Parademon came back with the food required.

"I do believe you can kill many things. But me? I could just be reborn through you if you try." he pointed out as he shoved his hand in the bag of food the Parademon brought, steadily pulling it out to reveal it looked like dried up chocolate cakes but with rotting worms sticking out of it and some sort of slime that Marinette and Adrien could only guess was blood from a Parademon. They cringed at the sight of it but they wouldn't stop resisting.

"Tikki, don't eat it, keep your mouth shut!" Marinette told her Kwami, who pushed her lips inwards and bit her teeth down tight.

"Plagg, try and get free, don't open your mouth, okay!?" Adrien ordered, eyeing his Kwami with fear as Plagg tried to break free of the grip, even biting away at Grail's arm.

Grail just laughed at their struggling, seeing it was just pathetic and pointless to even deny the food.

"I have to say the red one must be honourable to the side of good, having the power of life after all. But she can't resist just as her friend can't." she taunted, getting a glare off of Tikki as Darkseid neared her.

"To think you're half Amazon! Diana and Hippolyta would be ashamed of you! All Amazons will, and I know your mother would be too!" she squeaked at Grail, who's eyes widened and Darkseid stopped where he was. Marinette and Adrien held their breath, not sure what was going to happen next. Grail had gone still and looked almost empty with no expression on her face, while Darkseid looked at her with interest, wanting to see how his daughter would react to such a jab.

It came when Grail bared her teeth and stared at Tikki, now trying to hold off her temper as she shook.

"My mother made me who I am...she protected me from your fellow Amazons. She taught me how to live, how to fight and everything else to help me live...yes, I miss her...I killed her, but she lost sight of the goal we wanted. I do what I do now because of her. As a warrior, and as the daughter of Darkseid! Now you will give what I've been trying to give me father!" she snared as she tore the dried piece of food from Darkseid's hand, getting a gasp from Marinette and Adrien as Grail, in a blur, shoved her fingers into Tikki's mouth and pushed it open.

"NMMMPGH!" Tikki cried feebly as she was forced to eat the food.

She was completely helpless as Grail shoved it in her mouth and made her swallow it. Plagg was next soon after as the Apokaliptian/Amazon hybrid forced him to eat the piece of cake as well. Try as he might to resist, the black feline-Kwami couldn't spit it back out as he was forced to swallow to prevent himself from suffocating. Both Kwamis cringed, disgusted by the taste of the cake. Whether it tasted good or not was irrelevant, they both knew that they were now ripe for Darkseid's usage as they felt their powers returning. Normally they enjoyed the feeling of their powers being back, but not in this situation. Pleased to see they'd eaten, Darkseid took hold of the Ladybug earrings and Cat ring. Marinette and Adrien writhed around desperately in their binds, terror taking hold of both of them as they watched what was going to happen next.

"Darkseid, no! Don't, please!" Marinette shrieked pleadingly.

"You don't know what they'll do to you!" Adrien cried, hoping the world conqueror would see reason.

But Darkseid was deaf to all pleading as he shoved the earrings into his cheeks and slipped the ring on his finger. He had no ears so shoving the earrings into his cheeks was the only way he could wear them. The moment he put both Mirauclouses on, he was completely eclipsed by a sudden power surge that swept over his entire body. Tikki and Plagg cried out pitiful wails for help as they were yanked into their respective gems as if invisible hands had grabbed hold of them. As soon as they disappeared, Darkseid began to glow a mixture of red and black as the combined powers of Ladybug and Cat Noir coalesced together into his body. let out a gasp of surprise as his eyes glowed bright enough to blind everybody in the room and he threw both arms out to the side. Grail shielded her eyes, taken aback by what was happening. Marinette and Adrien both looked away, not only because it was too bright to look, but because they didn't want to watch the transformation. It was like the Joker all over again and watching it the first time was horrifying enough as it was.

In a matter of seconds, the light had died down and everybody could see again. Marinette and Adrien still refused to look while Grail, Desaad and the Parademons opened their eyes to see what had become of their almighty leader. They all gasped in gleeful surprise as they saw that it had worked. Darkseid was no longer a child. He had been restored to his former glory at long last, his size having grown considerably both in height and muscle structure. Once again, he towered over everybody and had the appearance of a living tank thanks to his huge shoulders, thick biceps and powerful calves. But that wasn't the only thing that had changed about him.

A purple aura surrounded his body with the tears in his skin glowing a bright yellow, the powers of both Miraculouses flowing around inside of him. The Apokaliptian demon was standing at a frightful nine foot, a red orb sitting in his chest with an Omega symbol sitting above it while its own ends stretched across either side. The top half of his chest and towards his helmet was a dark blue, as were his gauntlet like gloves and boots, the armour dark but shining bright to show its great metal was packing a lot of protection for him. From his chest to his waist, he was armoured in a blue and grey colour, forming a war skirt below his waist, while black pants stretched from his waist to his knees. He looked a lot different compared to the usual all blue and black armour he was known for, but it was a change he would welcome.

Marinette and Adrien couldn't believe what they were seeing. It was almost as if Joker took the Miraculouses again, but now they were in the hands of a god, and it granted him of all people his one wish. Marinette wasn't liking what she was seeing in a deeper level of fear...was this it? Was her nightmare about to come true? Would Darkseid light up the Earth on fire with just a wave of his hand and blast her into space? If fear had a hand, it was squeezing her chest right now and her eyes were full of it.

Darkseid continued to stare at his hands in silent shock, registering not only his new body but the powers he could feel going all around him. His eyes looked distant, as if he was lost in a whole new world, and it looked as if he was in awe at what he was seeing, something he hardly did.

"I...I can see it all...the beginning, the Big Bang, creatures long extinct, the Emotional Spectrum...life and death all tying back to these two creatures...I...I can see it...but I need more." he spoke, his voice thicker and grainy, fitting with his new body. He looked up to the ceiling and raised his hands, making Grail stare at him in confusion as the aura began to build up in power towards his hands.

"Show me...show it all to me! Give me what I need!" Darkseid then called in wonder, a blast of purple and yellow energy roaring up and blasting right through the ceiling, turning the concrete and rubble to dust in just a second. Grail gasped while Marinette and Adrien cringed.

"What the hell's gotten into him!?" Adrien cried above the noise of the energy tears through the ground they were underneath and rocketing into the sky. Grail ran to her father's side while Desaad watched on in wonder at what he was seeing.

"Father? Father, stop! You'll give us away!" Grail pleaded, not wanting her new plan to get ruined before she could even put it into action.

She was mostly too late, though, as far in the distance across the stretch of destroyed vehicles, abandoned weapons, and the many corpses of those who had been killed in wars long ancient, the palace of Darkseid shook slightly as if it was hit by an earthquake. And its main occupant was sprung to his feet from the shake. Standing at the same size of Darkseid, but just as ugly with the bony goatee, Steppenwolf's grainy breathing huffed repeatedly as his pale face looked to the big door opposite him, his axe tightly held in his hand while his horned helmet lowered dangerously as he was met by one of his Canine handlers. He was dressed in dark red and black armour that matched Steppenwolf's own.

"My God King, in the distance, look!" he cried, leading him out of the door opposite, taking Steppenwolf out onto the front large balcony. From here, Steppenwolf could see the blast of purple and yellow energy shooting into the sky. It was like a little water sprout but it gotten a glare from Steppenwolf as he then looked to his Canine handler.

"I thought the Dark Ways was long abandoned and left uninhabitable? How could the Resistance be hiding there? They were long crushed and reduced in numbers!" he yelled angrily, taking the chances of getting kicked off the throne with anger.

"Uh, I'll ready a squad of Parademons and a Cavalry, my God King! We will also investigate what's left of the orphanage, if you'd like?" the canine handler asked nervously, trying to please his king.

"Do what you should, soldier, but send word back when you have found something." Steppenwolf said in a forcefully relaxed voice, his axe by his side as he glared into the distance at the beam of energy.

In the Dark Ways, Grail had enough of trying to verbally bring her father down, so she did what she felt she had to do. Grabbing the hand the Chat Noir Miraculous was on, Grail pulled it off in a blur, sending Plagg flying out of the Miraculous and slamming into Adrien's chest with a thud, his eyes spinning around and his body shaking.

"Plagg!? Plagg, you okay!?" Adrien cried as the energy vanished, leaving the air still and rather normal, as if the beam was fired at all. Darkseid gasped as the power drain made him feel like something was pulled from stomach and up to his mouth. Grail soon pulled the Ladybug earrings out of his cheeks, making Tikki fly out squealing in disgust, landing on Marinette's lap. The bluenette gasped and looked at Tikki in worry as she looked as if she was going to puke up.

"Tikki? Oh my gosh, Tikki, are you okay!?" she cried, her whole body now trying to fight against the restraints.

Darkseid closed his eyes to help steady himself before opening them up to glare at Grail, who looked back at him with a similar look.

"You...you stopped me, daughter...why? The Anti-Life Equation was there...I could've used it..." he said, a tiny hint of sorrow in his voice.

"My deepest apologies father!" Grail explained hastily, "I know how much solving that equation means to you and believe me, I didn't want to stop you from obtaining your goal. But we can look into the Anti-Life Equation later. Right now, we have to reclaim this planet for you! Now you're back to full strength, you can do just that. Unfortunately, you might've given us away with your little light show so Steppenwolf could be on his way to attack us right now..." she said grimly, staring at the hole in the ceiling that Darkseid had made.

The New God was still angry at his daughter for interfering and preventing him from finally solving the Anti-Life Equation. It had been there, right before him with all its power at his disposal! And he'd lost it in one single action from his own daughter! He was tempted to reprimand Grail in the harshest way possible for this insolence. But deep down, he knew she was right. They couldn't delay in taking back Apokalips. A good ruler never waits to take what he wants, something he knew all too well. And given Steppenwolf would likely have seen what he had been doing, he would likely try to interfere and take the Anti-Life Equation for himself. No, he couldn't let that happen. He would indeed save it for later. Darkseid nodded slowly and placed a hand on Grail's shoulder.

"A sound conclusion my daughter." he agreed, "I'll have that equation when I have reclaimed my rightful place. With Steppenwolf back in his place, there will be no threat to my rule. Let us mobilize and bring the battle to my uncle."

Grail smirked with delight, glad that her father had seen reason for once and was sticking to the plan. She turned to Marinette and Adrien and snatched hold of Tikki and Plagg, the two Kwamis still shuddering and shaking like a pair of lunatics in an asylum. Just the very notion of being fused to Darkseid had left them completely traumatized, no longer aware of their surroundings and unable to stop babbling inanely to themselves. Marinette and Adrien watched as they were taken away, feeling more hate than ever towards the Apokaliptians. The Joker was NOTHING compared to them, and the same applied to Hawk Moth. They had never in all their lives hated anybody more than their original arch-enemy. If they weren't restrained, the French teens would happily try to flee this planet and leave these abhorrent people behind for the rest of their lives.

They weren't able to do anything as Grail stood by Darkseid, the restored god already giving orders to his men.

"Parademons, you will leave the Dark Ways and attack Steppenwolf's palace." he commanded, his voice booming around the room, "We will meet with Granny Goodness in the Armageddon District. She and her Female Furies will prove most helpful in this war."

He then turned to Desaad, the chief interrogator eagerly awaiting whatever command he was about to receive.

"Desaad, I leave you behind to induce our prisoners." Darkseid ordered, "I do hope you don't hold back in whatever you do to them."

"Oh my lord, it'll be a pleasure!" Desaad cackled sadistically, excited at the very idea of getting a moment alone with the teens. He was already planning on what to do with them, even though his ruler hadn't even left yet.

"I'll leave a Parademon here for you though, my loyal servant, in case they try to be problematic for you." Darkseid then said, gesturing at one of the Parademon guards to stay behind. Marinette and Adrien cringed at the grin the hooded Apokaliptian as he looked at them, his hands outstretched from his sides.

"Oh, God Lord, I will make them the finest warriors you've ever seen. Ripe with such trauma and horror will make them snap easily. They might even have metagenes that are yet to be unlocked!" he pointed out as he traced a finger over Adrien's head, making him shudder while Marinette glared at him.

"You keep away from us you creep! You won't make us give in, no matter what you'll do!" she cried, her fists clenched as she struggled against the restraints. Grail just smirked as she put Tikki and Plagg into her waist holder, looking at Marinette in pleasure at seeing her being so defiant.

"Such a hero, aren't you? Well, I've seen a lot of heroes crumble before Desaad. Oh he will take care of you, protectors of Paris, and you'll find life on Apokalips to be much more pleasant than the one you had on Earth." she assured as she turned with her father, who's eyes glowed as he entered the dark tunnel in front of him.

"For Apokalips, my dear, for our rightful place." he said almost warmly, rubbing her shoulder as they both vanished into the darkness, the buzzing of up to a million wings filling the tunnels.

The sounds were almost distant as Marinette and Adrien were now just staring at Desaad, who was looking at them with a smile, his teeth hidden behind his lips, but him just smiling was even more disturbing than that. Then an almost happy giggle came from him as he looked away, his eyes looking as if they were now soft.

"Heh...it's just occurred to me you two really are the youngest humans I'm having to handle. Just makes it more exciting." he said lightly as he hid his hands under his cloak. Marinette and Adrien weren't taking his words so well about it.

"How can you be content with the fact you're about to torture children?!" Marinette cried, squirming in her seat.

"Don't you have ANY standards whatsoever?!" Adrien concurred, his skin already crawling even though Desaad hadn't done anything yet.

"Morality is a concept that people rely on to try and make themselves seem more heroic and sound. We have no use for it here." Desaad retorted dismissively.

His hands remerged from under his cloak, now holding a pair of collars. They looked clunky and uncomfortable to wear and the two teens knew immediately that he wasn't giving them for decoration. They were obviously torture devices of some kind and they were about to find out what kind of torture they would receive from the collars.

"I hope they fit." Desaad sneered, his voice mocking and cruel as he advanced on the imprisoned heroes...

* * *

On Earth, Mantis groaned as he felt waves of hot pain go through his head, his eyes all blurry as he woke up. When his sight came back to him, he was stunned to find he was still in the mountain. His memory began to replay to him and it all reminded him of his recent beating, and it didn't help that he could feel his arms and legs were tightly tied up by a certain lasso that had him on the floor.

As he looked around, his eyes were greeted by a pair of red and white armoured boots, making him look up at the Amazon that was looking down at him with a lot of anger being held back behind her eyes, while in her hand was his Father Box, having been taken off him as soon as she knocked him unconscious.

"You've had five minutes. Tell me how to use your Father Box, take me to Apokalips, and I might actually let you go to be with your people." Wonder Woman told him, her voice restrained as if she was fighting back from yelling at him. Mantis chuckled nervously, seeing he was in a tough position to argue back.

"You do realize how foolish this is Amazon." the bug replied feebly, "You're practically throwing yourself into death's clutches if you go to Apokalips! I knew Amazons were battle hungry, but so keen to kill themselves? THAT I didn't expect!"

"My patience is wearing thin Mantis. I haven't got time for any of this." Wonder Woman warned, "Your Father Box. Tell me how it works. NOW."

To further convince him to answer her question, Wonder Woman grabbed hold of the Lasso of Truth, the mystical rope glowing around Mantis's hands and feet. Mantis sighed in annoyance, knowing he was yet again about to fall victim to the rope's enchantment and give away secrets he preferred to keep to himself. Unable to resist the lasso's influence, he answered.

"It works almost similar to a Mother Box, but it's under voice control, something Darkseid had wanted since the war with New Genesis. Only I can tell it where I want to go." he said miserably, not happy the lasso got him to tell the truth again. Wonder Woman frowned, now unsure of what to do.

"Voice control? So you really are my only chance of getting to Apokalips...I don't want to resort to torturing you but I'm running low on time. If you get me there, I might let you go so you can be with your people...if you are such an honourable person to your people." she said, her voice carrying a warning to it as she looked at him.

Mantis tried not to gulp, but the Amazon clearly wasn't up for anything else he would say. She could end up destroying the Father Box, and it was his only way home to his people, who could end up suffering in the incoming conflict between Darkseid and Steppenwolf.

"Even if I did, there might not be any chance of you getting back here." he then warned, only for her grip to tighten, making him groan.

"I'll take that chance. A way home might be given when it comes to it. Now, will you take me there or not?"

"I don't want to, but you're not leaving me much choice." Mantis sighed, "I'll do it, for my sake and not yours."

Wonder Woman shrugged. She didn't care if he did it for her or not, just so long as he was actually going to do it. She held the Father Box out so Mantis could give the command. With great reluctance, he gave the order.

"Boom tube us to Apokalips." he commanded.

The Father Box responded and in a matter of seconds, the two were whisked away in a flash, booming straight up from Earth to Apokalips. As they were transported, Wonder Woman had only one thought burning in her mind.

 _By the gods...please let Adrien and Marinette be OK..._

* * *

 ** _Wonder Woman is on her way! She better hurray for Marinette and Adrien are about to receive the worst pain they can imagine from Desaad! Is she too late? Will Darkseid reclaim Apokalips?_**

 ** _Tune in next time as the battle for Apokalips commences..._**


	11. Chapter 10: Torture Session

_Chapter 10: Torture Session_

The entry point to the Dark Ways from the outside was like the mouth of the devil opening up to co sure any person into its bowls to twist, burn and drown them. The face of the opening bore great resemblance to Steppenwolf, but it had a more bearded look to its design and its horns were a lot bigger, stretching out into the red sky.

The air twisted and bent as a Boom Tube opened up before the mouth, shortly delivering Wonder Woman and Mantis onto the Apokaliptian soil before it vanished. The Amazon closed her eyes in disgust as she took in her surroundings, truly wishing Marinette and Adrien were never brought to this place.

Opening her eyes, she looked to Mantis and kept hold of his Father Box, giving him sharp eyes.

"You stuck to your word. Now if I were you, go to your people and shield them from the conflict that's about to happen." she suggested, not sounding grateful for his help as she kept her stern stance up. Mantis groaned but then smirked, giving her a slight nod.

"Of course, princess. My duty is to protect my people and I thank you for bringing me here." he said, almost as if he was forcing out his grateful tone. Wonder Woman didn't look fooled and kept her shield drawn up.

"Go then. I have to save my friends, so be on your way". she told him, slowly turning from him to face the entry of the Dark Ways. She guessed they were being hidden in here, for she knew the Dark Ways was probably the only hiding place Darkseid could go to on Apokalips.

Her ears, though, remained sharp as she picked up the footsteps of Mantis were getting closer to her, and her skin shivered as she felt a slight acid burn in the air "I'm sure your friends will be grateful for coming here, princess...especially when they find your dead body."

And it was then Diana's instincts kicked in, jumping high in the air to avoid a swipe from Mantis' claws. Aiming her feet downwards, Wonder Woman shot down at him like a rocket, slamming her feet right into his chest at a speed that made him drop right onto his back and leaving a small crater. The insect creature growled as he tried to pick himself up, but Wonder Woman pressed down on his wounded shoulder and aimed her shield at him.

"So much for being noble." she said, displeased at having to do this.

And before Mantis could do anything, Wonder Woman brought up her right bracelet and slammed it hard against her shield right above his head. Mantis cried out in agony as a white light completely took his sight, making his head go numb and his body vibrated from the shockwave before he was left in an unconscious, twitching state with his eyes now closed.

Getting off of him, Wonder Woman looked to the horns of the face giving entry to the Dark Ways and sighed.

"Just to be sure." she said to herself as she then lassoed one of the horns in her grip and pulled it down with a loud tear splitting in the mid point, bringing it down on top of Mantis and pinning him to the ground. Its large size would keep him firmly held down with no way of moving.

Untying her lasso from the rock, Wonder Woman walked towards the Dark Ways now that she had taken care of Mantis. She heard about how it was a labyrinth and that would mean she would get lost, but it wasn't going to stop her. If Marinette and Adrien were in there, she had to get them out. She just had to hope they were not dead.

"If you are alive, just hold on. I'm coming to get you now..." she said to herself, letting out a pray as she entered the Dark Ways, the light of day fading from behind her.

* * *

Barely contained screams filled the dungeon as Desaad let Marinette and Adrien have a second round of electricity course through their veins. Both teens were sat completely rigid and straight, gritting their teeth as their muscles contracted in response to the painful shocks they were receiving. After clipping the collars around their necks, Desaad had activated them with a simple remote control that turned them on or off. The collars were designed to brutally electrocute the person wearing them and the Apokaliptian torture master was very fond of using them. He grinned with delight as Marinette and Adrien tried to contain their screams of anguish. He would happily keep this up for longer but he knew that their teenage bodies could only take so much. A teen wasn't as hardy as an adult was and he knew it.

He aimed the remote and stabbed down on the button with his thumb, switching the collars off and giving Marinette and Adrien a momentary release from their agony. They panted, desperately snatching air back into their lungs. They didn't bother feeling relieved for they knew this was only the beginning. The teens watched as Desaad approached them both and removed their collars, taking Adrien's off first and then Marinette's. That made them feel a little better now they knew they weren't going to receive anymore shocks.

"You truly do have the blood of a superhero in your veins, both of you." the robed man sneered, "Only the truly strong, brave and compassionate are able to try holding in their pain despite having several volts burning through them. I have a feeling you're going to be more interesting subjects to break than I imagined..."

Adrien opened his mouth to speak, only to splutter and cough violently as if he was about to hack his own lungs up. The torture had made his throat raw and he couldn't even speak without coughing. He was eventually able to croak out a few words.

"You...can...go...break...yourself!" he gasped hoarsely.

Desaad didn't seem to care what he'd said, walking away from the prisoners and putting the electro-collars away. He then turned back to them and approached slowly, his pace slow and deliberate as if trying to creep them out. His eyes gleamed from the shadows of his hood as he thought of what he was going to do next.

"For some, physical pain is what makes them keel over and beg for mercy. For others, emotional trauma is what's necessary to make them snap." Desaad declared, his tone suggesting he was a teacher delivering a lecture at a school, "I have a suspicion that I may need to rely on just that to make you two ripe for our world!"

He cackled sadistically as he advanced on Marinette, reaching out a hand for her face. The blue-haired girl lashed out and tried to bite his hand but Desaad retracted it quickly enough to avoid having her teeth sink into it. He looked more amused than surprised at that act of defiance.

"So, still got some spunk in you despite that warm-up session?" he crowed, "Ha, ha, ha, I do have a nasty habit of underestimating the females, oh yes. They always tend to be the most feisty of subjects I get to toy with."

He leaned in closer, his eyes baring into Marinette's own. The girl looked away in disgust, unable to bear the very thought of looking at this hideous, robed creature before her. There was something about his eyes that filled her with dread. It was like they were trying to reach in and suck her out from the inside.

"G...g...get out...of m-my face...y-you freak!" she rasped.

"You may have spunk, but that can only hide so much about yourself child." Desaad purred, "So, you wield the power of life? That's what your "Miraculous" is about right? So what do YOU fear? What is the one thing that can scare the one that wields the power of life...?"

He slowly ran his tongue over his wrinkled lips as if finding the whole thought simply delicious. Marinette's skin crawled, disgusted that he could talk so casually about fear and what scares her. What on Earth had happened to this monster that made him turn out like this?! The very thought was too disturbing for her to even ponder.

"Why don't we find out? Oh yes, why don't we indeed..." Desaad cackled.

"T-try all you...want..." Marinette croaked, "You won't...find out...ANYTHING about...me! I'll...never tell you...what...you want...to know!" she finished with a spasm of coughing.

"Foolish girl, you imply I actually NEED you to talk in order to find out about you!" Desaad jeered.

Adrien's eyes narrowed darkly as he glared at Desaad, his fists clenched despite the pain going through him from simply moving.

"Don't...you dare...don't you dare touch her...give me a try, just don't hurt her..." he almost dared, wanting Dessaad away from Marinette. She was his girlfriend and even if they couldn't break free, the best he could do was call him away from her.

Marinette's eyes almost snapped away from Desaad's as she heard Adrien's voice, feeling a sense of defence coming through her. They trailed over to Adrien's and could see how much he meant what he said. Why? Why would he want him to hurt him instead?

"Don't look to your lover, little girl, look at me!" Desaad demanded, pulling her back by her face. Adrien shook his hands against the straps holding them on the arms of the chair, his eyes now desperate as he looked at Desaad pleadingly.

"Oh god, please...please, don't listen to him, Marinette! I believe in you!" he called, fear clenching his soul over what was going to happen to his girlfriend.

Adrien's voice was a distant echo to her though, as Desaad kept hold of Marinette to look into his eyes. For her, it was as if she was in a pool, only she'd gone too far in the deep end and had lost her footing on the floor...she was almost limp, except a cold chill of fear was completely over herself as she then felt as if she was being turned...and then a blast of white light took her sight, making her let out a scream of anguish as she fell deep into it, not hearing Adrien's scream for her name.

* * *

And just like that, Marinette found herself landing down on a wooden floor with a thud, landing so hard that she felt as if she'd broken an arm. Ignoring the pain, her attention drew to her breathing and then to her surroundings. The floor...it felt so real. It was warm, but old, and...it felt real. It couldn't be though...she was strapped to a chair just then, she couldn't be somewhere else now...

Sitting herself up, Marinette looked at her surroundings and took in the area she was in. It was dark green, with tatty wallpapers and exposed, worn layers of concrete patterned around her...it felt so familiar...but she wasn't letting it fool her.

Keeping her breathing levelled, Marinette looked to the ceiling and frowned.

"Yeah...nice one, you freak! It's an illusion...I can see through it, you can pull me out now!" she called, almost as if she were to tear down the whole reality she was in.

Only then, though, did a chill come over her and a smell of rotting flesh filled her nose. Her eyes burning and gagging at the smell, Marinette covered her mouth with her hand, thinking Desaad was trying to poison her mind with something...

"I...should've seen through the mask...to think Ladybug...is you, Dupain-Cheng!" a gargled, painful voice called out from behind.

Freezing on her toes, Marinette's loose hair blew from a slight breeze from behind her, her blue eyes now wide with shock and utter refusal in them. Unsteady footsteps and drips of liquid filled her ears from behind. It...it couldn't be...

"Look at me!" The voice demanded.

Now feeling even more shocked then ever, Marinette twisted around and gasped in fright and horror at the sight that greeted her, her eyes wide and her mouth now covered by shaking hands.

"No...Chloe?"

Impossibly, but undeniably so, it was indeed Chloe Bourgeois standing before her. However, Chloe was looking far worse than she ever had looked before. Marinette was so repulsed at what she saw that she had to physically restrain herself from vomiting. The blonde teen before her didn't look whole. From the neck down, she looked fine. The head was where anything resembling Chloe stopped. Half of it was missing, leaving Chloe with only one eye, a corner of her mouth missing and nothing left in the empty side of her head. Her left shoulder was caked in dried blood that snaked down her arm. Marinette knew what this was, a cruel reminder of the Riddler's only casualty when her class had been kidnapped and forced to be a part of his sadistic games to best Batman mentally. But how could Chloe possibly be alive with this level of damage to her head?! She guessed Desaad was playing mental games with her, but it felt so real! Chloe really was there! Or at the very least she'd come back as a zombie, how else could she be here?

"Ridiculous!" Chloe remarked. It was quite clear that despite missing half her head and looking like an undead corpse, her trademark snark and lack of manners hadn't died with her, "How can a clumsy, lowly baker girl like YOU be the hero of Paris?! This must be some cruel joke!"

"No, you're not real! You're NOT real!" Marinette cried, completely in denial, "I'm not hearing your voice right now! I'm not even looking at you!"

"Oh really now, you're seriously gonna pretend I'm not here anymore? I didn't know you hated me THAT much!" Chloe snorted.

Somehow, watching her speak with half her head missing made this undead Chloe look even creepier. Marinette could feel herself about to vomit again and looked away.

"Don't you DARE look away from me you accident-prone, bread-making, pastry-kissing, Adrien-stealing bitch!" the brutally-damaged girl snarled, "Look at me! LOOK AT ME MARINETTE DUPAIN-CHENG!"

She stormed up to Marinette and forced her head back around to look at her. Marinette stared, repulsed by the hideous, grotesque appearance of what had once been Chloe Bourgeois. She'd always hated looking at her when she was live and now seeing her like this, she hated looking at her even more.

"Since you're Ladybug, I now know whom to blame for my death!" Chloe growled, her voice full of poison. She pointed to the missing part of her head as she ranted on, "You did this Marinette! YOU caused me to die! It's all YOUR fault! Why didn't you save me?! YOU COULD'VE STOPPED THIS FROM HAPPENING! WHY DIDN'T YOU?!"

"Batman tried to warn you! He warned you that the Riddler had rigged our phones to blow but you ignored him and fell for his trap!" Marinette snapped, angry that Chloe was daring to blame her death on HER when she had nothing to do with it. Then again, it was SO like Chloe to blame everyone but herself.

"Your death was your own fault!"

"How dare you! Some superhero YOU are!" Chloe retorted, "Refusing to take responsibilities for your own actions? That's the exact OPPOSITE of what a superhero does! You're not Ladybug! Ladybug wouldn't blame people's deaths on somebody else!"

Marinette shook her head and closed her eyes, a pang of hurt and guilt now eating up inside of her. She tried to keep it down but Chloe's rotten breathing was making it harder to do so.

"You failed me, Marinette. You failed my daddy. And you'll fail Adrien." Chloe hissed, venom filling her voice.

Marinette glared at her upon the mention of her father and Adrien, clenching her fists as tears began to build in her eyes.

"Yes, alright! I should've got the phone away from you...but you should've listened to us! You didn't, and your dad...he's now the way he is because your attitude got you here...yes, I could've done more...but...you didn't listen!" Marinette sniffled, not believing Chloe's words.

Chloe jabbed a finger into Marinette's arm, wanting to make sure it hurt. It didn't but it got her looking at the eye glaring into her own.

"So irresponsible. And that's why Adriekins will never be happy. You'll fail him the second you make a mistake. You'll hurt him even more than his father did!" she said with utter hatred in her voice, almost sure she was making a prophecy.

Marinette felt her blood boil even more at this as tears began to roll down her face. This couldn't be real! None of it could! And she was going to prove it!

"Just shut up! You're not real, shut up!" she tearfully yelled, throwing a fist into Chloe's face, expecting it to just turn Chloe to dust and she would vanish into nothingness...she didn't. Instead, her fist connected with thick rotting flesh and a loud crunch of bones was heard, making Marinette gasp in disgust as she pulled her hand back. Chloe's body staggered and dropped to the ground like a rock, her head's remains splitting open and blood pouring out more from inside.

Marinette held her hands to her mouth in horror, her confidence now running low at this. It couldn't be real...but...it was...she just punched Chloe...it was as real as it could be.

A low laugh came from the remains of her lips, sending a cold shiver right through Marinette as two sets of footsteps reached her ears from behind. "You'll fail him...you already did in so many different ways...it'll happen, in some way..." Chloe let out as her body went limp, the room getting a lot darker but turning a slight green from the lights.

"So, you gonna sing me a song or what?"

Marinette frowned. It...was her voice, but she wasn't talking, not herself. It sounded just like her though, but...it was sounded idiotic and full of forgetfulness...it didn't seem right.

"Anything for you, to make you mine. I'll sing you a song that'll make you like me even more, so the powers that be can keep us together."

Another shiver went through Marinette. It was a boy's voice, but it was not Adrien's. It sounded low and slightly rough, with a smug ring to it. She never heard it before but...it made her feel sick from the inside.

"Oh yes please! The first three minutes I spent with you, I knew you were the one, Luka!"

"Luka?" Marinette asked loudly in confusion, her frown getting deeper and her face twisting up in disgust "Who...who the hell is Luka!?"

She looked around wildly, wondering where the voices had been coming from. She even ran forwards, not even bothering to check if Chloe's body was still there or if it had disappeared at all. Where were the voices coming from? And who did they belong to? She'd heard herself speaking but it couldn't have been. Marinette was right here and she hadn't been saying those words. Yet it sounded like she had! And who the hell was this "Luka"?!

The baker girl finally found her answer after a minute or two of running around searching. She'd found herself in a strange area where the darkness seemed to slowly disappear and a room was ahead of her. Marinette imagined that it was like stepping out of a dark void and into reality again. She slowly entered the room, now able to see more of what it was. It wasn't just any room, but a bedroom. HER bedroom to be exact. And there she was, laying on the bed listening to a boy she didn't recognize play the guitar to her. Marinette had a double-take and rubbed her eyes, incredulous at what she was seeing. This was impossible! How could she be in this possible replica of her own room if she was standing right here observing it all?! What spore of madness had Desaad thrown her into?!

"It's...me...but it can't be me! This must be another trick! But Chloe seemed real...so is this...?"

Marinette's brain was spinning so much that her head began to ache. She massaged her temples to try and ease her head and refocus. The superhero teen observed the scene again, now aware that she could suddenly hear music. She'd been so surprised at seeing herself in this room that it hadn't registered in her mind that music was playing. It was the strange boy playing his guitar. Marinette took a moment to observe the boy. She didn't recognize him at all. He looked strange with his blue hair, black fingernails and hoodie. His appearance suggested he had weird taste and interests. The boy was strumming on his guitar, playing a song that Marinette recognized. It seemed to be winning over the other Marinette, who was clearly getting into the boy's playing. That already sent alarms ringing in the first Marinette's mind. She NEVER acted like that when people played music, not even Jagged Stone. It took more than playing music to tug at her heartstrings.

"I knew this was a fake! That girl may look and sound like me, but she sure doesn't ACT like me!" Marinette muttered with a vicious scowl on her face, "What's Desaad's game here?!"

"Because...you failed Adrien...in a world of possibilities...you failed him in that one like a complete idiot...and you'll fail him here." Chloe's voice then echoed. Spinning on her toes, Marinette saw Chloe wasn't there anymore, nor any of her remains, but the voice...it sounded as if she was right by her ear, breathing into it to upset her.

Looking back at her other self, Marinette's eyes went wide in disgust as she saw her dancing intimately with the boy, who was smirking all the way. Something wasn't right about this, Marinette had to hold on to that.

"No...no, just who the heck is this guy!? If this is some alternate reality, I'll be paying it a visit when I'm done!" she yelled angrily, storming right up to her other self with hot anger burning through her.

As she did, she took it all in. This boy, she never met before, seemed to give off this vibe he only knew her for eight minutes and somehow had won her over. That...that wasn't right! That's not how it goes, and it didn't start like that with Adrien, so how could this girl be her!?

Grabbing her other self by the scruff of her jacket, Marinette shook her hard to the point where she squealed rather pathetically, and the boy stopped playing his guitar with a shocked look.

"I don't know who you are, but YOU are NOT ME! Who the heck are you two!?" the real Marinette demanded, almost hurt at how the girl was behaving.

The pigtailed Marinette looked at her almost fearfully and pulled herself free from the real Marinette's grip, backing towards the boy behind her.

"L-Luka, keep playing, I don't want to remember this idiot!" she begged, sounding utterly desperate as if she was going to fade into nothingness. The boy nodded and began to frantically play his guitar again but it was badly out of tune.

"Look, if you're meant to be me, how can you actually...fancy this guy? From what I can tell, you've only known him for like eight minutes! Did you take some pills or something!? Because if that's the case, I'm not getting like this either way!" the longer haired Marinette yelled, full of surety and trying to make sense of everything.

"We...we have a lot in common! Yeah, like drawing, music, sitting in our bedrooms...yeah, I never met him before but he's cute, right? C'mon, Cristina said he was good...you'll like him!" the other Marinette said desperately, making Marinette frown deeper as Lucka tried to play louder.

"You...you can't just fancy a guy you just met just because you have a lot in common! By that logic I should fancy Rose because we both like designing and fashion! Don't know who this Cristina is, she sounds like she says a lot garbage. What about Adrien? You've gotten to know him so much and your just letting go of him for some weirdo playing music?" the real Marinette asked, talking to the other Marinette as if she was utterly thick inside and outside.

The other Marinette glared at her as Luka stopped playing, a smirk twitching up on his weird face.

"Adrien? Who cares!? He's not good at singing and he's too perfect! He doesn't care about me, he's not interested at all, and he's not as normal as Luka!" she yelled angrily, now coming across like Chloe. The real Marinette just stared at her other self in shock...she never thought of Adrien like that. Alright, she did a little after she thought he was bullying her, but that was a small thought before she's gotten to know him more. And her other self was wrong, and the real Marinette wasn't having this crap anymore.

"Doesn't care? I don't know at which point in your life you're at, but Adrien has always liked you! He was always interested in you and hanging out with you! But you know what? You're now coming across as an attention seeker trying to pine after any guy you're putting your eyes on! And you know what? I don't think you even tried with Adrien, because if there's something I'm gonna tell you, he's the best person I've known in all my life, more than stranger danger over there!"

And just as the pigtailed Marinette was left with a wide and shocked expression, the real Marinette gasped as Luka then whacked his guitar against her, making her vanish into nothingness. She was right, she wasn't her at all! It was just a trick Desaad was playing!

Glaring at Luka, Marinette was ready to lay her fists into him.

"I know that's you, Desaad! Come out now, you hear me!? Show me what you're made of!" she demanded, wanting to pound his ugly face in for making her see all that.

Luka just chuckled as his eyes then glowed a bright yellow, his teeth going sharper and black claws beginning to grow from his nails, making Marinette step back a little but keeping up a straight pose, showing she wasn't intimidated by him.

"Oh I'm real. At least what Desaad collected me from whatever was left of my universe. My essence or anything. You were so easy to fool. I mean, Juleka never had a brother until I came along, the powers that be said I should be there, just to bring you over." he taunted, his voice sounding more sore, which made Marinette cringe.

"Oh and who would your boss be then? Joe Quesada? Because you're right, Juleka doesn't have a brother, and if she did she would've said. Just go away, because you're some illusion Desaad is using!" Marinette said, confident in her words.

Luka didn't like that and it showed, his face turning into a frown of disgust.

"You will listen to me! Me and my lord say you should be with me! You're wasting your time on that wimpy rich boy! I am a witch boy and you will listen to me!" he yelled, his voice clearly losing its charm. But it didn't charm the real Marinette really.

He lunged at her but Marinette sidestepped and fought him off with a really hard knee to his groin. He let out a demonic squeal as a loud crunch echoed from where she hit him, and Marinette pulled her knee back as he dropped to the floor, clutching his groin in agony. Marinette glared at the blue haired idiot cowering before her.

"A wimpy rich boy? Adrien is more of a man than you'll ever be, and don't think I'm gonna spend eight minutes with you because I'm out of here! It's not working Desaad, you hear me!? It's not working!" she yelled, knowing well she was in a mental lock she had to use all of her strength to get out of, even if it meant she had to yell her mouth off.

As Luka cowered before her, the green glow of the room then turned purple, and the whole air went more cold, almost as if someone opened the door up to Arctic weather and letting it in, but it was more chilly and bit hard against Marinette's skin. A slight blow came at her from behind and a slight humming of a certain someone crawled into Marinette's ear.

"I never liked you, Miss Dupain-Cheng. Even though you mean well, I would never have accepted you to be my son's lover. Even if you tried before we all learned our identities, I'd have gone out of my way to keep you away from him. And now you have your chance. Go with the goth boy, give me your Miraculous, and let my son be as how I want him."

Marinette knew who it was and quickly felt as if her confidence had been washed down into a sewer. Her breath getting caught in her throat, she turned slowly around and saw him standing there, looking just as alive as how he was in her nightmare, a cruel smile spread out across his face as he looked at her.

"You...I won't listen to you, Gabriel...you're not real...you're not real!" Marinette cried.

There he was, standing there in his immaculate white tuxedo, red trousers and smart glasses, looking as classy and cruel as he did when he was alive. Gabriel Agreste himself, seemingly back from the dead and looking considerably better than Chloe before him. His eyes were cold and gleaming with delight, clearly relishing in Marinette's torment and denial that he was there. He approached the girl, his hands behind his back as if he was imitating Darkseid. That made Marinette feel even more uneasy. Gabriel's presence was beginning to remind her of her earlier nightmare. Was Desaad doing all this to try and make her live through it all again?

"Hello Marinette." he purred, "I see you don't approve of your new boy."

Marinette didn't speak, still refusing to acknowledge that the silver-haired man was here before her. She didn't even look at him. Gabriel just smirked, more amused than anything.

"Still pretending I'm not here? Maybe THIS will convince you!" he cackled.

In the blink of an eye, Gabriel suddenly changed from his civilian guise to his supervillain guise, the trick not requiring a Miraculous or his butterflies this time around. Dark magic swirled around him and in a matter of seconds, he was now back as Hawk Moth, complete with his silver mask, purple suit and long purple cane as before. The second he'd finished transforming, Hawk Moth swung his cane and hit Marinette in the back of the head with it, throwing her down onto the floor with a heavy thud. Marinette had been so taken aback by the blow that she hadn't even registered the pain that was flaring through her skull. She was more surprised than hurt as she lay there, eyes wide open in shock that she'd actually felt a physical blow from Hawk Moth. The supervillain looked down at her with a devilish smile.

"Convinced NOW?" he sneered.

"No...that can't have been real! It would've been Desaad who hit me, not you!" Marinette protested, although she was beginning to doubt if her guess was right and if she wasn't just grasping at straws to convince herself this wasn't real.

"Still in denial at what's right in front of you...how on Earth YOU are the one donning the Ladybug earrings is beyond my comprehension!" Hawk Moth sneered, his tone mocking as if the whole thing was a sick joke to him.

"You already haunted my nightmares Hawk Moth! You weren't real then and you're not real now so why don't you stop playing games and disappear already?!" Marinette snapped. She could feel tiredness sweeping over her. She was growing weary from this experience and wanted it all to just be over with already.

"You cannot get rid of me that easily. I'm as real as you are in this world." Hawk Moth replied, "And what you're about to see next is ALSO real!" he exclaimed, banging his cane on the floor.

Doing so caused a horde of butterflies to swarm around Marinette in a flurry of beating wings and white blurs. They formed a tornado around her and the butterflies came at her from all directions. The noise of their constant wing flapping was overwhelming for the poor girl and she tried her best to drown it out. Many of the butterflies flew into her faces, forcing her to start swatting away at them to keep them out of her eyes and mouth.

"Ah! S-stop that!" she whimpered, "G-get away from me! GET AWAY!"

The butterflies ignored her, still swirling around her like an angry swarm of bees. The butterfly swarm seemed to go on for ages, but unknown to Marinette, it had only been a minute or two before they suddenly broke away and flew off into the distance, disappearing in an instant. The sudden silence that followed hit Marinette like a blow to the head and she had to take a few gasps of air just to ensure herself she hadn't gone deaf. It was over...or at least the butterfly swarm was. Hawk Moth stood behind Marinette and pointed over her shoulder with his cane.

"My butterflies have taken you to one of many scenarios I wish for you to see." Hawk Moth explained, "You may not have felt like you've travelled, but you have. Take a look and tell me what you see."

Marinette felt another smell filling her nose, but this time it was like the smell of burning wood and thick clouds of dust filled the air with smoke. Her eyes narrowed, she looked out from the edge of the rooftop she and Hawkmoth were on. The sky was red, as if the Earth had been taken to hell and was now washed over by a red void. She recognised the view though, and it hit her hard. She saw it every time she was on her way back home as Ladybug, on top of a roof opposite her home.

It was boarded up, tatty, and the windows were smashed out, far from the lively and bright look it always was. Angry cries filled her ears from below, making her eyes trail downwards to see an angry stretch of protesters outside her home, acid bombs, guns and protest boards up above their heads. She might've been high above them, but she could see utter hatred on their faces and a pang of hurt slithered into her heart, as she recognised some of the people. They were people she'd saved, some who were Akuma victims she'd restored to normal.

"They...are they...attacking my home?" She asked stiffly, disbelief in her voice at what she was seeing. Hawk Moth responded by grabbing hold of her hair and shoved her forward, making her gasp in fear as she almost fell off the edge.

"Are you that foolish!? Yes, they are, child! Why do you think that then?" he asked, fury at having to point out the very thing in front of her.

"But...I'm their hero...I helped them all, I saved them all...they wouldn't do this! My mom...my papa! Let me go!" she cried in despair, not liking this in the slightest, scratching away at his hands to make him let go of her hair.

"You don't know the public as well as you think, Marinette. In this day and age, with internet and cameras, your identity could easily get leaked. They already know Adrien is the son of Hawk Moth...imagine what the public would think if they learnt Ladybug was the silly, foolish girl that was dating him? They'd have you turned to ash, they'd think it was all a game you and him were playing, living a dream and using them as toys. It's so wonderful to see negativity spread as quickly as flames." he cooed in fascination, pleased he was watching something like this in front of them both with Marinette powerless in their grip.

Her eyes almost shot out from her head and her breath was caught in her throat as the protestors tossed the bombs at her house, exploding loud enough to send large amounts of its structure flying out, even landing a bomb right through her window. Screams of anguish and agony echoed from inside as the flames ate away at her home, making Marinette frantically wave her arms out in desperation.

"LET ME GO! MOM! PAPA! NO! NO NO NO!" She screamed in despair as the flames devoured her house, tears dripping from Marinette's eyes as she saw all that hatred destroy her parents and her home. Her chest heaved up and down as she closed her eyes and shook her head, trying to regain her senses,

"IT'S NOT REAL! IT'S NOT REAL, NONE OF IT IS REAL! LET ME OUT DESAAD! LET ME OOOOOUT!" she screamed in defiance, trying to ignore the rising smell of smoke filling her mouth and throat.

Hawk Moth smirked as he then tossed her back the other side, sending her sprawling across the floor as the whole surroundings turned dark around her, now resembling that of Hawk Moth's lair, only it was illuminated by a red glow instead of the white light it often was filled with.

Marinette sniffled and pressed her fingers against her eyes, trying not to cry. She was not giving in, she couldn't! She wouldn't let him or Desaad win! Her watery eyes opened as she glared at Hawk Moth, who looked at her as if he was enjoying a good movie.

"My mom and papa are alive...this isn't real and neither are you!" she cried hotly, getting back to her feet in a second, ignoring the tears staining her face. Hawk Moth just smirked and tapped his cane against his head.

"Oh I can see why my son likes you. Fierce, determined, compassionate...perhaps I underestimated you...or maybe he overestimated you. Luka, show her what things should've been."

Marinette almost flinched at the name of the weirdo as his footsteps from behind grew louder, accompanied by another. A clang of metal was heard from above and the sound of chains unfolding gotten Matinette's attention. Her heart almost stopped as she saw, descending from the ceiling, was Adrien as Chat Noir, all chained up, bruised, battered, and his right arm painfully stretched out away from his body so he couldn't use Cataclysm to set himself out.

"Adrien!? No, oh god, no!" Marinette cried as she ran to him, only for Hawk Moth to warp in front of her and grip her arm to make her stop, making her legs go shaky at the sudden appearance of her boyfriend's father.

"Not now. It's not even started." he whispered as he turned to stand by her side, his grip on her arm still strong and still real. Marinette tried to break free but his hold was too strong, and she couldn't help but look.

Utter horror came over her as she saw what was going on. There was Luka, a pleased look on his weird face as he took another Marinette...no, Ladybug towards Chat Noir, her eyes glowing yellow, just like Luka's.

"You'd easily fall under Luka's influence like anyone your age, especially with him being a witch boy. You just don't know how far lost you'd be with him." Hawk Moth whispered as he made Marinette see the blade in Ladybug's hand.

"No...I wouldn't...I wouldn't, ever, I would never kill him! It's not real, you hear me!?" Marinette cried desperately at her counterpart, who just smirked as she trailed her hand on Chat Noir's cheek, his eyes full of despair, something Marinette noticed and it devastated her heart to see this.

"So disappointing. Both as yourself and as Chat Noir. You were always so useless, no matter how hard you tried. Always in your father's grip, so oblivious to me, not a good singer...I wasted so much time on you. No more though. Good night, Adrien." Ladybug said with a hiss as she pulled the blade up towards his chest, which heaved in and out as a tear escaped his eye. Marinette was now trying to pull herself free from Hawk Moth, not caring if her arm was going to get ripped off, she wasn't going to let this happen, this would never come true, it-

"M-Marinette, please-

A pierce of leather and flesh rang in Marinette's ears after Chat Noir let out a tearful beg. Almost in slow motion, her breathing stopped as the sword tore through Chat Noir's chest, coming right out completely red the other side, the smirks not leaving hers or Lucka's faces. Frozen now, Marinette stiffly watched as Ladybug pulled her sword out, a gasp of pain coming from Chat Noir as his chains let him go, making him drop to the floor like a rock.

The air was thick and silent as Marinette's lips quivered, watching Chat Noir's bleeding form trying to crawl away. Luka sniffed Ladybug's hair and patted her with his claws.

"Excellent work, Marinette. You're free of this filth." he said pleasantly, sounding like an utter psycho with all this.

"And with that, you'll be free of Luka, I get the Miraculouses, you end up in a pit of despair and loneliness, and I can bring my wife and son back, memories altered and all loyal to me. You'll be forgotten like the useless, foolish girl you are, Marinette. You'd always fail him in the end." Hawk Moth whispered in pleasure as he watched on, not sounding hurt over seeing his son getting a blade shoved through him.

Marinette just couldn't believe what she saw. She saw herself stab her boyfriend...and he begged her...begged her not to kill him. She...she...felt a hot fire burn through her soul, her legs shaking like mad while her fists clenched ."

No...NO! I DON'T BELIEVE IT!" she screamed, stamping her foot on one of Hawk Moth's, packing it full of strength that it made him let go of her with a cry of pain.

Marinette didn't stop to rethink what she was doing. She rushed right over to her Ladybug counterpart and shoved her hands through, making her copy disappear in a painful wave of dust, making Lucka gasp as she gotten to Chat Noir's side, lifting his head up and resting it in her lap. Marinette could see he was breathing and it relaxed her. This meant she had enough time, time to assure him and herself this wasn't what she was seeing. Smoothing his cheek as his eyes gazed up at hers.

"Oh Adrien...If we survive this, I promise you: I will never hurt you. You're the only one I love. No one else. Not an artist, not a singer, just you. Always. And if we die fighting...we go together...would you be okay with that?" she whispered, a small smile on her face as she could feel her muscles relax, just thinking it's only him and her now. No Lucka, no Hawk Moth...just her and him.

A smile came over his own face. It was genuine despite the bruised state he was in, and he interlocked his fingers with hers.

"Up to you, M'Lady...you sure?" he asked almost cheekily, making Luka clench his fists in disgust while Hawk Moth frowned. Marinette nodded and lowered her face towards his, her breathing slowing as it mixed with his.

"I'm sure, kitty..." she assured, closing her eyes as her lips came onto his. She caught a glimpse of his eyes closing and felt his mouth moving against hers, saying one word.

"Cataclysm".

Marinette thought the power of Cataclysm would be as if she were burning inside and out. And she did feel warm...but that was it, just pure, gentle warmth running right through her. Opening her eyes, she found herself in a swirling tornado of Cataclysm energy. A scream of agony filled her ears, making her turn to see, to her pleasure, Luka turning to a rotting skeleton and was torn away by the Cataclysm. She never felt like that towards anyone, but she guessed just this once with Luka was good enough for her. Seeing the boy getting destroyed sent relief running through Marinette.

Her confidence didn't fade even when Hawk Moth flew up at her, his body losing its psychical form from the bottom, turning to bones as he tried to get closer.

"NO! YOU WON'T WIN LADYBUG! I AM HAWKMOOOOOOAAARTHHHHH!" he screamed as his whole body lost its flesh and his skeleton fell apart before her. Marinette didn't flinch, because she knew for one thing was this: she'd won. Desaad had lost.

Almost in reverse to how she ended up here, Marinette felt herself coming out of the red ocean she gotten lost in, flying out of it and back towards the light she needed to get to. And shortly enough, a scream of anger filled her ears as her vision changed, now being greeted by the sight of an angry Desaad, who staggered back as if he received the shock of his life.

* * *

Gasping, Marinette looked around and found herself back in the chair inside the Dark Ways, back where she knew what was real. And that meant...

"Marinette? Y-You okay?"

It was Adrien's voice, the REAL Adrien, that she could hear. Marinette looked over at her boyfriend with exhausted eyes. The whole experience with Desaad's hypnotism had left her completely drained. She was drenched in sweat and her heart had been thumping wildly the whole time and was now finally starting to settle back to its normal pace. Marinette had never felt so tired in her life. She felt more like she'd run 500 miles and back even though she'd been sitting in this chair the whole time. All she wanted to do was sleep, but that wouldn't come. Not while Desaad hadn't finished with them yet. The torture technician looked at her venomously, incredulous at the very idea that this puny baker girl had somehow managed to resist his mind-games and come out unharmed. But instead of getting angry about it, he thought about the bright side to all this. He thought back to what he'd learned from hypnotising Marinette and grinned.

"Well...that was certainly a wild ride I participated in." he purred, "Getting to see your regrets, guilt and fears, you certainly showed me quite a lot! I especially enjoyed watching your reaction over seeing the girl who died on your watch." he sneered, knowing that this jab below the belt would have Marinette fuming, "Interesting to think that you were with Batman at the time. I guess you have ties to more members of the Justice League than we thought."

"S-save...your...breath!" Marinette spat, sounding weary and run-down from the whole experience, "Your...pathetic...mind games...didn't...work! I...beat you...I beat you good!"

"Yes, and it annoys me greatly to think that you're going to be harder to crack than I believed." Desaad muttered, clearly sounding annoyed, "But what about your boyfriend? Is his resolve as strong as yours my child?"

He then approached Adrien, his eyes gleaming with excitement as he prepared to hypnotise him next. Adrien squirmed in his seat, desperate to break free. He didn't want to go through what he'd just put Marinette through, not when he knew what Desaad could find out about him. The robed man just laughed at his pitiful attempts to break free as he grabbed Adrien's face. Marinette watched him and began pleading desperately.

"Leave him...alone!" she gasped, "You...you've done...enough to me! Please...don't make Adrien...suffer too! Please!"

Desaad ignored him, his eyes fixated on Adrien, who was trying not to look at him.

"Now, Darkseid believes you're full of anger and sadness...let's see if he's right!" the torture master crooned, grinning like a hobgoblin.

His two sharp fingers tore open Adrien's eyes, exposing his eyeballs to the swirling red of Desaad's. Marinette's screams became distant from Adrien as his mind tried to tear its way out, but Desaad just smirked as his eyes swirled faster.

"Yes...oh now I can feel it...all that anger...despair, self hatred...you'll be easy, young man!" he chuckled as he grabbed hold of his hair from behind to keep hold of him to stop him from turning away. Adrien's eyes watered from the pain, unable to look away from the torturer, who's eyes sucked him in. For a moment, everything went cold for Adrien as a bright red light took his vision, before twisting into a sharp purple, and then a sickly feeling came over Adrien as he could feel himself falling at a great speed. He screamed out as he could feel his whole body twisting up inside as he neared the purple, watery bottom of his descent.

* * *

With a shocking light thud, Adrien almost lost his breath. His hands patted around him, feeling the cold surface of concrete that he had landed on. His heart beating quicker, Adrien began to pick himself up, only for his hearing to pick up the chants of many people from behind...and it didn't sound good. It was at the point where it felt as if a knife was shoved through his heart. It was people chanting only a few words of utter hatred.

"DEATH! DEATH TO THE AGRESTE! DEATH! DEATH TO THE AGRESTE!"

"DEVIL SPAWN!"

"HE'S AS BAD AS HIS FATHER, DEATH TO HIM, DEATH TO THE DEVIL!"

"HE'S A MONSTER! BLOW HIM UP, GET RID OF HIM!"

As the words had only just settled in on him, Adrien let out a gasp of shock as he was forced off his feet and received a punch across the face after being swung around a man who had a strong grip on him, before getting slammed on top of something he couldn't quite register...then his fingers went funny as he felt them hanging down from his head and could feel his blood running up there. Panting as he looked up, Adrien could see he was being hung off from a bridge of sorts, his legs getting tied to the edge by some of the protesters.

Not wanting to go through with this, Adrien began to pull himself up, gritting his teeth to fight off the wave of fear and pain going through him, but his newfound confidence was gone as soon as he gotten up. His eyes almost turned white as he could see them all. All the victims, all the people his dad hurt...children, men and women...his friends too...they were all there. They were glaring at him as if he was a piece of dirt they walked on, hatred stretched all over their faces, some even holding guns and blades. Even Captain Roger had his gun aimed at him, really wanting to pull the trigger.

A rush of hot water came over Adrien's soul and he almost stopped breathing, seeing all this in front of him...hearing it on the street was bad enough but...it all come to this. This was it.

"Oh god...no, please, no! I DIDN'T KNOW! I DIDN'T KNOW! I'M NOT LIKE HIM, Y-

He received a brutal smash to the face from his right, feeling his teeth coming loose and his eye swelling up as a bruise formed on his cheek. They all began chanting the same thing again, only now he could hear his friends' voices saying them, and they meant every word they let out from their mouth.

"YOU PIECE OF SHIT!"

"YOU LET YOUR DAD DO THIS TO US!"

"YOU SHOULDN'T BE BREATHING, DEMON!"

"YOU'RE FULL OF LIES! THIS CITY DOESN'T NEED YOU!"

All of them. Alya...Nino...Juleka, Rose, Nathanael, everyone...all those friends of his, who he protected with his very life, had all been consumed by utter disgust and bloodthirstiness towards him now...friends he loved, wanted to help make better and have a new life with...they all hated him. But none more so than the man walking towards him.

Looking up, Adrien felt his body freeze. Standing right in front of him, looking untidy, tear stained and full of anger, was Mayor Bourgeois, and he was carrying two things in his hands. One was a picture of Chloe, and that was a big twist from the blade already in him, but he couldn't make out the other object. It was well held by Mayor Bourgeois, who raised the picture of Chloe so as to silence everyone. When they did, he spoke with an almost exhausted voice, as if he had little energy left, but still full of disgust.

"My...daughter...your childhood friend...is dead. All because of your father...because of you. You spied on everyone in that school...getting each of them Akumatised by your father...I've known you all my life, but I didn't think evil would take on such an innocent look." he almost hissed, sending a shiver running through Adrien as he felt his heart pump louder and his blood run faster.

"I...I've lost everything...all because of your family...from here on, there won't be anymore Agrestes. This city has been haunted by you long enough...death to the Agreste!" Mayor Bourgeois said a little louder as he came closer to Adrien, grabbing him by his shirt.

Adrien was still filled with shock to even realise what Mayor Bourgeois was doing...he brought up his other hand and opened it, revealing he held a bomb in it. That was enough to snap Adrien out of it, gasping and squirming to get free as Mayor Bourgeoise pulled the pin back...

"DEATH TO THE AGRESTE!" he screamed as he shoved it down Adrien's shirt, running back from him as Adrien frantically ran his hands over his body, trying to find it as those words rung in his ears.

"NO! PLEASE NO! I DIDNT KNOW, PLEASE GOD, H-"

If this was meant to blow him up, it wasn't quite what he was thinking it was going to be. The explosion tore through Adrien like a fire that sent him falling down into a swirling purple tunnel of sorts, his body burning and his tears running freely across his face, thinking the end had come.

He didn't know whether to be thankful or not that he wasn't, as he came crashing down onto some stairs, making him come rolling down towards the bottom, blood dripping from his nose and his hands now red and crispy of dried blood. Coming to a stop, Adrien breathed steadily, feeling his face twisting up as he was overcome by despair. If he was in hell now...that was it. There was nothing else...

"I'm never gonna escape my father's shadow...NEVER!" Adrien wailed, pounding the floor in defeat, "He maybe gone, but he'll continue haunting me as long as I live!"

"Your father felt the same way with my passing Adrien." came a voice that sounded strange to the blonde boy, "He was haunted by me until the day he died. You could say I led to his downfall in the end."

Adrien's head snapped around to see where the voice was coming from. Who was speaking? And why did it sound familiar to him? It didn't make any sense. It couldn't possibly be her...could it?

Adrien turned again and saw what looked like a pair of gates opening up ahead of him. They were the gates to the Agreste mansion. Had he just landed outside his former home? He approached the gates and quickly saw that this wasn't the case. There were the gates, but no mansion behind them. All he saw was a beautiful woman standing by the gates. The woman was blonde haired and had a very attractive face. It was a face that Adrien knew all too well. He almost fell over backwards in shock as he took this in.

"Mom!" he exclaimed, "My gosh...it...it's really you!"

"Adrien, still pining for me as ever." the woman, Emilie Agreste, droned, her voice devoid of any love or warmth. She sounded almost like a robot stating facts than a human being, "You're just as pathetic as your father. You can't learn to just let me go just like he couldn't. Akumatizing all those people just to get some magic trinkets to bring me back and look where THAT got him!"

Adrien was taken aback to hear all this. His mother NEVER spoke like that, especially not to him or his father! Something wasn't right. Was this part of whatever sick game Desaad had put Marinette through?

"Mom...what are you saying? This isn't like you at all!" Adrien cried.

"So naïve...no wonder you'll end up like your father Adrien." Emilie said dismissively, "You cannot hold onto me anymore. I will not be chained to you, or your father. My time has come. Accept it and leave me be."

She turned to walk away, but Adrien wasn't going to let her. He ran up towards her just as his mother began to walk back towards the gates. He managed to catch hold of her arm, but his mother didn't look at him. She didn't even seem to be aware he'd grabbed her.

"Mom! Please! Don't leave!" Adrien cried, pain and despair evident on his face, "You're all I have left! You can't leave me, not like this!"

"There we are." she said slightly louder than usual, not even looking at him, "Just like him. Thinking of yourself and seeing me as your cuddly comfort toy. I spent so many years wasting my life in raising you to be perfect for Gabriel. Why do you think I left?" she asked, droning on again like a machine.

Adrien felt his eyes get hotter with his face turning downwards into a deep frown, tears still freshly falling down his face.

"You're lying! Y-You're not my mom! You can't be...if you are my mom...come back...just come back and tell me everything! Please!" he begged, now on his knees as he felt his energy getting drained from him, trying not to end up in a sobbing state. He could only look down at the floor as he held onto her hand.

It clenched into a fist and a sigh came from Emilie, who pulled her hand free from him, leaving him more gutted than ever.

"If you want to be free of your father Adrien...just disappear. Leave and never go back to Paris. Be someone else. Like I have." she said coldly, finishing it as she threw him a glare that almost destroyed the peaceful and loving look she had in the photo.

Adrien gasped as he saw dark blue veins stretch across her face as it went a pale blue while her eyes turned red, shocking him so much that he jumped to his feet, stepping back as a shadow of peacock feathers stretched towards him.

"You're..you're not her! YOU'RE NOT HER!" Adrien screamed loudly, hoping his voice would destroy the image in front of him, but the feathers stretched out further.

"I am your mother. I'm what she really is. No one will ever love you, you sad, lonely child." she said in disgust, her voice now sounding more like a demon as the whole place turned dark, "Now be a good boy and do as I say...or just die!" she hissed, sending the shadows out as if they were tentacles.

Adrien turned on his feet and ran as fast as he could back towards the door, not wanting his feet within a foot's reach of the shadows.

Getting closer to the door, Adrien swung it open, but instead of coming inside his old home, he ended up falling back through the dark tunnel of purple, making him gasp as he felt his whole body dropping through the whole thing, but what made it scarier was that the shadows were still coming after him, growing larger as they reached through the purple void.

Just as he felt his stomach coming up to his chest, Adrien felt one of the shadows snatch him by the ankle and toss him to the right, sending him falling through the night sky of Paris.

And as soon as he found himself in the air, he again landed with a thud, now on the cold, concrete surface of a rooftop. Gritting his teeth and fighting off more tears, Adrien picked himself up and brushed the dirt off, his heart trying to relax, not noticing the small girl standing near him.

"She...she wasn't her...she wasn't her...she couldn't be," Adrien tried to calm himself down, not sounding so confident in his words. His whole body was shaking from all he'd just been through. It was then he picked up the sound of small footsteps and gasps of anger, and it sounded familiar, making his blood freeze while his eyes widened.

"You...you can't be him! Why...why did you have to be Chat Noir!?"

The voice...it hit his heart like a rock. It was Marinette's...but it couldn't be! She couldn't be here, she was out on Apokalips, going through the same torture...

"Why!? You're...you're Adrien! Adrien Agreste, the perfect boy of Paris! Not some useless, obsessive, weird, selfish, pun loving cat guy in a tight leather catsuit!" she then added, frustration in her voice as she tried to put sense into what she was seeing. And what she said only made Adrien gasp. Useless? Perfect? Selfish? No...it couldn't be Marinette. She wouldn't say things like that, not even before she knew he was Chat Noir.

Getting to his feet, Adrien turned and saw her as Ladybug, and what gutted him the most was the disappointment in her eyes, looking almost angry at what she was seeing. And seeing such a look aimed at him by his girlfriend...it was really ripping his heart out now...

"You...you think I'm useless? Selfish? You...you don't mean that, Marinette!" he pleaded, trying to make sense of this. Yet she wouldn't stop, looking up at him with her eyes no longer the soft blue they always were, they were now icy and cold.

"You...you were always useless! You couldn't last a second in a fight on your own, and whenever I showed up, you were more obsessed with kissing me and making puns! Adrien...why did it have to be you? You...you were meant to be perfect, not some idiot in a cat suit!" she said, as if she was looking down at him from a high place and he was nothing but a random insect she was stepping on.

Adrien could feel his whole body begin to turn and tear, his heart beating in his ears as more tears came to his eyes, his hands beginning to shake.

"You...thought I was perfect? You...you only liked the poster boy, didn't you? You...you don't love me...no one ever has." he said bitterly as his eyes looked down at his feet, now empty, not seeing Ladybug's expression change with a fearful look.

"No...oh god, no, I didn't mean it! Adrien, I-"

"Stay away! Leave me alone!" he interrupted, running from Ladybug as more tears fell from his eyes, mixing in with his blood and stinging him hard, not seeing where he was going...right towards the edge.

"ADRIEN!" Ladybug screamed as he lost his footing and went over the edge, going back out into the purple void he was falling through earlier. A scream of anguish left his throat as he fell through, not noticing Ladybug's yo-yo coming after him far from above...and a distant scream then became louder than his own.

"ADRIEN! YOU HAVE TO GET OUT! DON'T LET HIM WIN! JUST HOLD ON!" Marinette's voice screamed desperately as the yo-yo gotten closer, only for Adrien to curl up as he continued falling, not feeling the string of the yo-yo wrapping itself around him and pulling him up. Adrien just had enough...he felt his whole body being ripped apart, piece by piece on the inside and was going to empty all the organs that kept him alive, yet he began to feel lighter and a red flash gotten fainter from his eyes...

* * *

"AGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH! STOP! JUST STOP, PLEASE, JUST KILL ME! JUST KILL ME PLEASE!" came Adrien's scream as he came out of his hypnotised state, smashing his head hard against the wall behind him, making Marinette gasp in horror as she saw the utter agony on his face and tears staining his whole face. Adrien kept hitting his head constantly, as if he was trying to get the images of his mental torture out of his head.

Smirking, Desaad stepped back pleasantly and watched as Adrien hung his head forward, blood dripping from his face with his tears, leaving Marinette on the edge of tears too. Seeing her boyfriend go through utter pain devastated her soul. Whatever Desaad made him see, it hurt Adrien a lot, and it made her clench her fists in anger as she squirmed against the straps. But she stopped as Adrien let out another cry of words, and what Marinette heard put her into silent shock.

"KILL ME! Please...just kill me...no one loves me...I'm a pathetic piece of crap...half assed and too oblivious to everyone else's feelings...Marinette...if you don't love me, find someone else! I...I don't want to burden you...I'm just a sad boy who made everyone believe I was perfect...I won't blame you if you go...I'm useless, and I'm sorry...for letting you down as Chat Noir, I'm so sorry...I..."

He couldn't find anymore words as his head continued to hang forward, now just empty and sad from all Desaad put him through. Marinette looked on in shock at the destroyed state of her boyfriend. He wasn't even this upset when Hawk Moth was revealed to be his father. And...he thought she saw him as useless? A burden?

"What did you do to him?!" Marinette demanded, her voice full of rage as she ached to beat Desaad to a bloody pulp for doing this to the poor boy.

"I made him see his darkest fears as I did you, what else?" Desaad sneered as if Marinette had asked a stupid question, "And I must say, what I've learnt about this boy was certainly fascinating. It seems he has severe doubts about himself and fears he'll forever be an outcast due to his father's actions. He even doubts if you really love him...oh yes, very interesting indeed."

Marinette could hardly speak as she took all this in. She was sure that Desaad had done more than that, maybe even faked some of whatever it was Adrien had seen. But she knew she was fooling herself by thinking that. What Desaad had made her see was very real, genuine fears she herself had had so why would it be any different from Adrien? Unlike her though, the experience had clearly traumatized Adrien. Marinette could only hope Adrien would recover from this hell he'd been put through and that he hadn't been damaged in anyway. She looked over at her boyfriend again, hoping to see the light in his eyes again that'd tell her he was fine. Adrien's eyes weren't even open. He'd slumped to one side, eyes closed and his whole body still. The only movement he made was the rise and fall of his chest and stomach as he softly breathed. Desaad noticed this and looked him over, curious over his current state.

"I guess the trauma was too much for him. The little insect has passed out." he scoffed, "No wonder he feels useless and that he doesn't deserve you Marinette. He really IS pathetic! You at least held your own against me but one session I have with him and he faints! He'll certainly break much quicker than you ever will."

Marinette clenched her teeth in rage, disgusted to hear her love being insulted like this. But she couldn't do anything more, only give Desaad a dirty look that he wasn't even intimidated by so even that was useless. The torture expert instead just turned around and headed out of the cell.

"While Adrien will break easily, you require something a little more." he purred, "I'll leave you two have a momentary respite while I find something more suitable to use to break you Marinette. Maybe Adrien will come round in time to watch what I plan to do to you!"

Glaring after the hooded creature as he turned to leave, Marinette couldn't find herself anything in her to relax. She was not going to let Desaad get away with this and if she had to tear huge pieces of her skin off to get out of the straps she would do it!

Gritting her teeth, Marinette began to try pull her hands through the straps, ignoring the twisting pain of her skin getting sore from doing so. She didn't even notice the Parademon guarding her and Adrien was just staring at her rather normally, as if this completely fine to him.

Marinette' eyes trailed to Adrien's unconscious body and her heart almost stopped as she saw thick drops of blood dripping from his nose, below of which his mouth was caked in dry blood. Fear began to take hold of Marinette as she saw how his fingers didn't even twitch and how his chest wasn't giving signs of breathing.

"Oh no...no, please, you can't be, oh Adrien, please!" Marinette gasped as she now struggled against the straps more frantically, scared that her boyfriend was leaving the living world from what she could see.

"You're not gonna die, you hear me!? Not here, not like this! We've got so much left to do...I need you, Adrien! Please don't be dead, please!" Marinette cried as more tears were filling her eyes.

Gritting her teeth as her wrists gotten sore from pulling away at the straps, Marinette breathed loudly as it came to her mind there was only one other way to see if he was alright. Looking to the Parademon, Marinette relaxed her nerves a little.

"You! Yeah, bug guy! You have to see if he's alright! Check him, now!" she demanded, hoping he actually understood her. Given Darkseid spoke her language, the Parademon must know it too.

It just looked at Adrien with a turned head, almost confused as to what Marinette was asking him to do. It then looked back at her and just shrugged, making her grit her teeth.

"No! Actually check him! See if he's alive, and if you don't...I don't think Desaad will be happy to know he died under your care!" she told it, choosing her words with more thought put into them. A threat about its boss would be enough, hopefully.

The mention of Desaad's name made the Parademon flinch, so it ran right over to Adrien, putting it's electric baton down by the side of the chair. Marinette frowned at why it was now just looking at Adrien more closely in the face.

"You have to check him! See if you can...wake him up, or anything, please just tell me he's alright!" she almost cried in frustration, finding it hard to see how an alien could be so hard to talk to.

It did get her word, though. The Parademon let out a gargling groan as it reached its side and pulled out a rectangular shaped device of sorts. Marinette watched as it inserted the device into the face of the chair's arm, and, trying to hold her gasp, saw the straps come quickly off, no longer restraining Adrien.

Watching with narrow eyes, Marinette saw the Parademon wrap its arms around Adrien's body to get him out of the chair, showing it was taking Marinette's words in making sure Adrien was okay. What neither it or she saw, though, was that the electric baton was no longer by the side of the chair...

* * *

Out in another tunnel of the Labyrinth, Desaad was smugly whistling to himself as he opened up a hidden door that contained even more scary looking devices that he made to put to use of torturing his victims. What he didn't know, though, was that he was being watched. As he rooted through the hidden door, he was completely unaware that Wonder Woman was creeping up behind him, moving slowly and silently so that she wouldn't be heard. Navigating the Dark Ways had been no problem at all of course. The Amazon had after all navigated the Labyrinth of the Minotaur just as Thesus himself had, and she'd made it through that maze without getting lost. Wonder Woman had been surprised to come across Desaad before anybody else but that didn't matter to her. As long as there was somebody she could interrogate, she could find Marinette and Adrien sooner.

As Desaad continued searching for the perfect device to break Marinette with, Wonder Woman drew out the Lasso of Truth and threw it over the torture master. Desaad was so surprised that he barely even cried out. He yelled as Wonder Woman yanked him back, pulling him straight into a chokehold that she was sure could restraint even Darkseid himself for a few minutes. The robed man squirmed in the grip of her lasso and arms, trying to break free.

"Release me at once you Amazonian she-devil!" Desaad cried frantically.

"You're not going ANYWHERE unless you tell me where Marinette and Adrien are!" Wonder Woman demanded, "And don't bother lying to me, you're in the hold of the Lasso of Truth. You have no choice but to tell me the truth."

And surely enough, the lasso glowed around Desaad, compelling him to reveal what the princess had asked him to. Desaad tried to resist, refusing to let a master of hypnosis like himself fall foul to a mere Amazon trinket. But not even his will was enough to fight off the lasso's spell as the words he didn't want to say came forcefully out of his mouth.

"They're..." he paused as he tried again to resist, but only grunted before carrying on, "They're...in a cell...just up the tunnel...ahead of you!"

"Thank you for cooperating." Wonder Woman muttered sarcastically, slamming a heavy fist down on his head to knock him out.

Desaad crumpled and lay still on the floor as Wonder Woman left him behind to go to the cell she'd been directed to. The very presence of Desaad had made her worry some more. She already had a horrible feeling in her gut that he'd been using his trademark methods on the two. If he'd damaged them in anyway then by Hera, she'd show him no mercy! She ran on ahead, unaware that she was in for a surprise when she arrived...

* * *

Back in the cell, the Parademon was looking Adrien all over to see if he was alright. Marinette watched with baited breath, wondering what the result would be. The blonde boy still wasn't moving. He couldn't be dead could he? Had Desaad's torture been too much and his heart had given out on him? The Parademon lowered his head and sniffed him. That was when Adrien suddenly made his move. A loud cry of anger and viciousness escaped his throat, shoving the electric baton up into the exposed joint of the Parademon's wing, making it scream in a gargled manner and it staggered all over the place as Adrien latched onto its shoulder, twisting the baton deeper in.

Marinette gasped and almost jumped, her eyes going wide as she saw her boyfriend return to life like a warrior. She took it in, his face still drenched in blood and tears and covered in bruises, but whatever energy he had left, he was using it now, his eyes almost like that of an animal's as he took on the Parademon. Marinette almost froze where she was, almost...wowed by what she was seeing but filled with relief he was alive.

Wildly staggering across the room, the Parademon tried to snatch him off from it's shoulder, but Adrien's newfound energy made him to fast to get hold of, crawling onto the Parademon's back and getting his forearm around its neck in a lock while his other hand twisted the baton deeper into it's wound.

"I TOLD YOU! I TOLD YOU NOT TO TOUCH US! YOU HEARD THAT, HUH!?" Adrien screamed angrily, glaring into the Parademon's red eyes. It responded by running backwards into the wall, making Marinette scream as she saw Adrien's face twist up in pain as his back was smashed into the wall behind him.

"ADRIEN!"

Grunting in pain as he felt something dig into his arm, Adrien held hard onto the Parademon and clenched his teeth, his eyes locking into Marinette's as the Parademon pushed harder against him, trying to squash him against the wall. Looking into her eyes, Adrien felt his face lose its tension. His eyes could see her own...Marinette was there, and the expression on her face, a mixture of shock, fear and relief was all over her...it was enough to tell him he was out now, and he could relax, feeling a wash of warmth slowly come over him...

He grunted again as the Parademon tried another push, but Adrien wasn't having. Keeping a tight hold of the baton, Adrien twisted it again and pushed harder against, what he could guess, was a hard organ. His eyes closed as he felt the baton making its way forward and his body shivered as he heard a loud, sickening puncture from inside the Parademon.

Marinette gasped at what she heard, watching on as the Parademon went stiff before it slowly slumped to its knees and slammed on the floor, Adrien sliding off onto his side as the baton stuck out of the Parademon. Settling into her, Marinette felt overwhelming joy and relief come over her, a smile finally stretching over her face as she saw her boyfriend pick himself back up, his body still going strong despite the pain he was in now.

"Adrien! Thank goodness...I really thought that you were..."

"Dead? Nah, although I did feel like my nine lives were up." Adrien sighed, "If anything could've killed me, it would've been Desaad's mind games and what he made me see. I'm just as amazed as you are that I pulled through..."

He approached Marinette and used the baton to force open the clamps on her chair, freeing her hands and feet at last. The blue-haired teen's first reaction upon being freed was to throw her arms around Adrien and embrace him tightly. It was as if they hadn't seen each other in years and had been dying for this tender moment together. Adrien ran his hands softly down Marinette's back for comfort. How reliving it was for the two to be in each other's arms again. And yet it couldn't keep Adrien from thinking back to what he'd seen. Marinette seemed to share that opinion for she looked up at her love and asked him:

"What did Desaad make you see that made you call yourself pathetic and had you begging for death?"

"He made me see my mother...and she didn't want to see me anymore." Adrien recounted, feeling drained and devoid of anything else as he found himself recapping the torturous experience, "She just turned her back on me and said she wanted me to let her go! I also saw people calling for my execution just because I was related to Hawk Moth and then the Mayor shoved a bomb on me so he could make me pay for Chloe's death! And then there's you...being disappointed to find out that I'm Cat Noir."

He let go of Marinette and looked away from her as if now too ashamed to even look at his girlfriend anymore. Marinette was stunned into silence, unable to take this in due to how shocked she was. Adrien had seen that? Her being disappointed to find out he was Cat Noir? But Adrien knew she hadn't been disappointed to find that out! How could Desaad have made him see that?

"You were there, expressing how I couldn't be Cat Noir because I'm supposed to be perfect and making it clear you loved me for who you thought I was, and not who I really am." Adrien continued, "It's something I've always feared, even if you weren't at all dismayed to find out I was Cat Noir. I know that it was all Desaad making me see my fears and everything, but it all felt so real! It's like it was all happening around me! Didn't you feel that way as well Marinette?"

"You couldn't be more right." Marinette said, hugging herself in discomfort, "Desaad made me see horrible, AWFUL things and I practically had to MAKE myself see that it wasn't real, even though I'd come very close to believing it was! What he's made me see will haunt my nightmares forever!"

"I think we could both do a break from Super heroics when we get back home. Just feel a little more normal and grounded...I'm sorry for scaring you, Marinette. Not just because I looked like I was gone but what I said...I don't wanna be a whiny brat you'll get angry with." Adrien then added, his eyes empty and full of guilt for feeling as if he was a problem for her.

Marinette took his hand in one of her own, smoothing his face to brush a tear away, a small smile on her face that stood out from the grim room they were in.

"Oh Adrien. You've been through enough, and you've got every right to let it out, and don't think I'm gonna get annoyed with you, because I'm not. I'll always have your back." she said softly, any hint of pain or suffering in her voice now gone and back to the sweet and loving voice she always had. If anything, she was glad that Luka creature wasn't real and she was now with the real boy she loved.

Adrien smiled as his heart grew softer, taking her into his arms.

"And I'll have yours. Always." he assured as she returned the hug, feeling warm for the first time since coming to Apokalips. The two stayed in their embrace, smiling as they were now alone and free...well, far from free, but it was a step forward to it.

It was then a clanging of metal boots from the tunnel caught their attention, getting their nerves to tense up as they backed away from the entrance.

"It could be him, stay down." Adrien whispered, ushering Marinette into the corner with him as they waited for whoever it was that was coming for them. But they didn't need to worry any longer when they heard the newcomer's voice.

"Marinette!? Adrien!? Are you both there!?"

Marinette gasped in relief at this while Adrien smiled as Wonder Woman jumped into the room, her face full of shock and emotion as she saw the two of them. Marinette quickly ran to her side, throwing her arms around the Amazon princess, who returned the hug with a soft smile.

"Oh Diana! You made it, you actually got here!" she cried, almost looking as if she was going to cry out of happiness over this.

"It wasn't easy, but it's alright, I'm here now, Marinette." the Amazon gently cooed, hugging Marinette closely as if she were her own child. It showed that the Amazon wasn't all about fighting as many thought.

"I'm sorry I wasn't quick enough to save you earlier. Looking at those chairs, I can see Desaad put you through some torture." she noted sadly, guilty over the two having gone through hell when she wasn't there.

"It's okay. Just as you said, you're here now, and we're still alive." Marinette said, her voice now relaxed, knowing fully well things would be okay now that the Amazon was here.

Coming out of the embrace, Wonder Woman gave her a smile of pleasure before looking at Adrien, who smiled back shyly. Wonder Woman looked at the bruised and beaten state he was in, making her gasp in horror at this. He was then stunned to get a hug from the Amazon too, smoothing his back as if to give him all the love and care any person would do for him. Marinette smiled as she saw Adrien's face relax and smiled pleasantly, seeing he was happy to get a hug from an older figure.

And he was. Adrien had a lot of hugs lately, but he never gotten much from adults that much. Feeling the warmth Wonder Woman was smoothing into him, it made Adrien feel as if...his mother was hugging him again, that all he had was a horrible nightmare and that she was giving him all the love she always gave to him. He put his arms around the Amazon, happy she had such a heart in her she was willing to show.

"Oh Adrien, my dear. Whatever they put you and Marinette through, me and my friends will do what we can to make you both feel better. I promise you." Wonder Woman said softly, wanting her words to give the strength and love they needed.

Adrien nodded and looked at her.

"We're grateful, Diana, thanks. But...things have gotten out of hand," he said grimly as he looked to the hole in the ceiling that led to the surface. Wonder Woman followed his trail as Marinette joined her side, the Amazon's face filled with worry as she realised what he was saying,

"Oh no...he must be back at full power. He's in his adult form again, yes?" she asked them both firmly.

"Yeah. He used Tikki and Plagg, just as we guessed he'd do. And he's still got them!" Marinette told the princess, who looked thoughtful as she let this settle in.

"I see...Darkseid was overthrown by his uncle, so it's likely he's on his way to get his throne back. We can't let him succeed and we can't leave Tikki and Plagg with him, especially with Grail." she said in a serious tone, trying to figure out a plan of sorts.

"Well if you're going to get them, we're coming with you. And don't bother trying to argue with us." Marinette then said, already filling herself with determination to get the Kwamis back, much to Diana's shock.

"Yeah, I'm all for it. Yeah, it's gonna be a huge battlefield we're going into, but it's what heroes get into. And I'm not letting Darkseid abuse Plagg any longer!" Adrien said with as much determination as Marinette had.

Wonder Woman looked at them both and sighed, now not sure if what she was about to say was going to be right.

"I...thing is, the chances of getting back to Earth are slim, so I can't just leave you two anywhere, but...it's going to be all out war when we go out there. Whatever you do, arm yourself hard and stay with me." she told them firmly, not liking the image of two teenagers going out into war. She saw enough of it in her life.

Marinette cringed as she looked back into the tunnel behind her.

"Given there's a lot of dead bodies in there with armour on them, I think we're in the right kind of place to get suited up" she said grimly, not liking the idea of running her hands over dead creatures. Wonder Woman patted her back softly with a small smile.

"Leave that to me, won't be long." she assured, easily reading the tone of the girl and decided it was best to do the grim work.

Shortly afterwards, the three of them climbed out of the hole Darkseid had made earlier, coming up in the thick air on the surface. Wonder Woman had gotten herself another sword, this one looking more fitting from another planet, holding a green crystal in the butt end of the handle while red crystal eyes sat in the hilt, with green ones lining up on the blade. It was coloured a lighter gold while the handle itself was red, fitting for it coming from Apokalips.

Marinette was now dressed in full armour, her torso covered in a dark bronze armour that looked well built and stomach plating on her front showed she would be well protected. Her head was well covered by a helmet that was similar to a cyclist's, curved down slightly at the back and the straps reaching well under her chin. Her shoulders were protected by strapped on pads while her forearms and shins were covered by gauntlets and shin guards. In one hand was a weird weapon of sorts. It looked like a frisbee, only it looked more like a crescent moon, bulkier and her hand could slide into the curving, with a slot of sorts running around the front of it, as if it were going to fire something. Her pink jeans and her face were exposed, but Marinette wanted it like this so she could move more quickly.

And Adrien was greatly covered. His armour looked similar to Marinette's but with more plating on his chest and more lining on his stomach. His helmet was more flatter than Marinette's but it was spiked and aiming up, the strap done more tightly. He had armoured knee pads but had no shin guards, yet his forearms had gauntlets and was wearing gloves, while he held a spear in one hand and the electric baton in the other, as he wanted to make good use of his skills with similar weapons.

They all looked out into the stretch of the crimson sky, breathing steadily as the two humans took it all in. Adrien looked at Marinette was a slightly light look.

"Okay...not the first planet we wanted to go to, but it doesn't have to be our last" he said with a slight giggle, getting one out of Marinette.

"At least we can say we've been to one." she said in a similar tone to his.

An explosion in the distance put them both into silence, looking out to see, from their perspective, a small swarm of creatures flying around the edge of a large, devastated building in the outskirts of a nearby hill down, at the highest point was Darkseid's castle. Marinette and Adrien took a deep breath as they looked at each other again, their eyes full of love and confidence, knowing well this next fight was likely going to get them killed, but they were with each other, just as they wanted. They then looked to Wonder Woman, who reached her hand out to them in a gesture.

"Shall we go then?" she asked lightly, care and love in her voice.

They nodded, their choices made and ready to go.

As they made their way down the side of the large hill that was the outside of the Dark Ways, they all couldn't help but wonder how things were going back on Earth, knowing well they were so far away and the people of Earth were doing their own thing...well, two people were making their way towards the police station with some weird intentions that would be helpful for the two teens if they were to get home.

* * *

 _ **Whew...that was quite a wild ride wasn't it? I'm rather surprised that this chapter turned out so long. Guess me and my co-writer decided to go all out with this one. XD**_

 _ **So now Marinette and Adrien are free from Desaad, they can join Wonder Woman in their attempts to save Plagg and Tikki from Darkseid! Will they succeed or will they get caught in the crossfire between Darkseid and Steppenwolf? We'll find out soon, but next time we return to Earth as Constantine and Master Fu make their move with their search through the police station. What will they find there and will it help our heroes...?**_


	12. Chapter 11: Breaking and Entering

_Chapter 11: Breaking and Entering_

"How do I let you talk me into these crazy situations?!" Master Fu complained for what seemed like the billionth time tonight.

"Simple mate, I'm a master at manipulation. I can talk anyone into anything, demon or not." came the inevitable sarcastic reply that John Constantine was famous for, "Now quit yer whinging already Fu-Fu, yer gonna do great at this!"

Master Fu rolled his eyes but sad nothing as he and Constantine headed towards the Central Parisian Police Station. Upon hearing that he was needed to get into the police station to get something that could help Adrien find his mother, Constantine had quickly formulated a plan that would get them in and out to retrieve the item they were after. Master Fu hadn't been too keen on said plan, especially since he was required to pretend to be a cripple but he had reluctantly agreed to do it. This was all for Adrien and his mother after all.

Constantine was walking towards the station while Master Fu wasn't. He was sitting in a wheelchair, wearing a large hat and thick coat to hide most of his features and make himself not look as small as he actually was. He looked almost like a stereotypical detective in those clothes, albeit a disabled one. Constantine wheeled him slowly, which was what Master Fu had politely demanded for he didn't trust the con-man to be gentle with him and he didn't want to go too fast. The coat Fu wore was also big enough to conceal the two Kwami he had with him, Noroo and Wayzz. He could feel them squirming in his coat, trying to make themselves comfortable. They had barely been able to stop fidgeting the entire time.

"It's really hot in here! Can't we have at least a minute for some air?" Wayzz complained.

"Not until the plan is over." Fu whispered in return, "I cannot risk anybody seeing you and Nooroo. Please stay put for now."

"Yeah, lest we end up having to save you two from some scientist nutjob's dissection table." Constantine remarked unhelpfully.

"He's right, I'm afraid," Nooroo said more reasonably, "As much as I trust the superheroes of this world, we don't need the police confiscating us." he added, remembering his cruel time with Gabriel.

"Oh if someone sees yer, I'll give em a kick in the bollocks and spit on them when they're down, and then I'll be gone back into the darkness, leaving only a nod and a wink and a wisecrack." Constantine assured, his Liverpudlian voice sounding more smug than usual.

"Do watch your language, I hate those words." Master Fu pleaded, not wanting to listen anymore strong language the British occult detective had to say, "And listen, when you put this plan of yours into action, try not to get anyone hurt." he added, really concerned about the wellbeing of those inside the police station.

"I'll remind you, Fu-Fu, that I was a humanitarian once when I ran away from home. Helping people and endangering em is part of the bloody job, especially in my work." Constantine replied as he tossed aside his used up cigarette when they turned the corner that led them towards the police station.

"That's not how humanitarians work!" Master Fu said with a frown, not believing what he was hearing from Constantine, who patted his head in response.

"Pipe it down, old mate, we need to observe." Constantine curtly told him as they stood on the corner under the street light. Nooroo and Wayzz quickly shot their tiny heads out of the coat wrapped around Master Fu. They gasped as they took in the sight in front of them, of up to about hundreds of people crowding the police station, stretching out onto the steps towards the pavement from the entry.

"Oh no, this looks like it will be too difficult". Nooroo said bitterly as he took it in.

"They must be survivors of Grail's attack, probably relatives of those who died, trying to find out where any of them are." Wayzz added, his voice low in sympathy for the humans he could hear crying and trying to keep themselves calm in speaking to the police.

"And this is where I leave you. Try not to get too cold, me old mate, can't have you getting unwell while looking after Adrien." Constantine then spoke up as he put the brakes on the wheelchair and strolled around it. Master Fu, however, grabbed Constantine by the sleeve of his coat, using enough strength to get him to stop. Constantine looked at him with raised eyebrows.

"Um, what's this? Any words of good luck or advice?" he asked lowly.

"More of the latter, John. If you do find the Peacock Miraculous, handle it with a lot of care. It's old and it could still contain unchecked power, and it's one of our only ways of finding Emilie, and Adrien needs it. Knowing you, it could easily get broken." Master Fu told him, his eyes full of seriousness as he looked into Constantine's cold blue ones, which almost flashed dangerously as he smiled.

"It's all for Adrien, so I'll handle it with a lot of care, mate, don't you worry. Now be a good bystander and be quiet." he replied as he pulled the hat down over Master Fu's eyes, making him grunt in frustration as he pulled it up and saw Constantine strolling off towards the police station.

"May the lord forgive me if Constantine does any damage to the Miraculous..." he said to himself as he, Nooroo and Wayzz watched intensely with held breath over what Constantine was about to do.

Strolling towards the police station was something Constantine did lightly, hands in his trouser pockets and his coat open to bare his tie as he blew some air out of his mouth.

"Now, if you've been around for as long as I have, which is questionable, being a con-man blends well with being an occult. Living rough in Liverpool meant me and Cheryl learnt the tricks of the street, and sometimes basic smart-arseness is all that's needed to get the bloomin' day, even if you're up against demons, or going against the law." Constantine thought, almost as if he was telling this all to someone else as he gently made his way through the crowds of Parisians outside the police station.

He took it all in with a grim look and a flicker of emotion came to his eyes. Many were crying, their faces twisted up into agony, others clutching hold of relatives as if the world were about to end. Others looked angry and were saying some strong words in describing Grail, something Constantine silently agreed with as his heart grew more sour at the sight.

"It's moments like this that makes me wonder if Supes and his mates really do make anything better. I do appreciate what they try to do, but I hope to God that there won't come a day where the world revolts against them that makes them change the handling of the world. Don't need Clark becoming the Last Dick of Krypton, or I'll stick a lighter up his arse if he does." Constantine added in thought as he neared the entrance, almost slipping through everyone as if he was smoke itself, as no one paid any attention to him.

Inside the entrance at the front desk, the numbers of people were more well controlled, with a few officers talking to the emotionally distressed of the people. Constantine smiled lightly as he saw a boy being comforted by a police officer.

"Don't see that often, do ya?" he said to himself as he then took in the surroundings.

It was a basic police front desk, like all the others across the world. It was in the middle, built into a wall with an officer sitting by a computer screen while others were coming in and out at doors to the right. The walls were a light blue with wall boards holding pinned up papers to them.

Smirking as the doors were opened again, Constantine whistled to himself quite lowly as he took hold of the door as a family went through with an officer. Eyeing the camera in the corner facing the entry, Constantine let out a blow of air as he took himself inside.

"Thanks, lads, all going my way for me, as always." he said to no one as he continued on, closing the door behind him.

Why were police stations ALWAYS so lousy with security? It made the supernatural expert's head spin just trying to comprehend why all over the world, police stations seemed to be the same. Lazy officers, poor security and nothing to keep people from breaking and entering. No wonder this plan was going so well!

Now Constantine was in, he relied on his natural senses to try and locate the evidence room. This maybe France, but he had a feeling that the layout of this police station was hardly any different to the ones he'd been in back in England. He was sure that the evidence room would be close by. He turned right and headed towards the first corridor he came across. Once there, he turned right again and went straight forward.

"Oh pretty peacock, where are you hiiiiiiding…?" he sang under his breath, more for his own amusement than anything.

A door opening down a corner way ahead of him made Constantine stop in his steps, instinctively backing himself towards the wall so as to keep out of sight as a few police officers came out from the corner way. Having counted up to how long they took to come out of that way, Constantine waited until they disappeared up ahead, easing his nerves as he peeked his head around the corner. A smile stretched across his face.

"Jackpot." he whispered to himself as his eyes took in the door of the evidence room opposite him.

Looking around him, Constantine took notice that there was no windows and the security pin lock on the wall next to the door, a table holding a plastic cup and newspaper, and there was a few fire alarm sprinklers planted across the ceilings in the corridor.

Walking calmly towards the door, a plan ran through Constantine's head as his hand dug through the pocket of his coat, looking for the very thing he often used nearly everyday in his work.

"Okay, let's see, swiping a card is a little too complicated for me to do, so I guess a good use of fire is enough to punch a hole in the system." he said quietly to himself as he took in the size of the newspaper.

"Yeah, thick and huge, just as I needed." he said smugly as he traced his fingers through the paper before picking it up and rolling it up.

"As they usually say to the children, I'm passing this on to all the good nippers and kids out there: don't try this at home, thank you bloomin' much." he said gladly as he pulled out his cigarette lighter, his eyes cold as the fire reflected in his eyes when he opened it.

Holding out one hand holding the rolled up paper, Constantine gently held his lighter right at the other end of the paper. Almost straight away, the flame latched onto the soft material, growing a lot larger in size as it began to eat through it.

Quickly pocketing his lighter after closing it, Constantine looked around him and smirked as he stood up on the table.

"You're next mate, sorry, but it's for the greater good" he said with a light tone as he held the burning newspaper up at the water sprinkler above him. Holding his breath and easing his nerves, his eyes remained still as an ear splitting screech of the alarms tore through the air and the sprinklers went into action.

Huge splatters of water sprinkled through the corridor and the alarms stretched out across the whole police station. Quickly jumping back to the floor, Constantine hid the burning material under the table so as to avoid getting put out, though he placed it against the leg of the wooden table, watching as the fire began to consume it.

Screams of fear and confusion could be heard through the station, some muffled and some clear as he could hear doors opening and several police officers running towards the exit of the station in fear. Constantine made his way back to the end of the corridor and rested his back against the wall as the water drenched him, not caring at what it was doing.

"Okay, any minute now...and..."

Just as he finished speaking, the door to the evidence room opened up and out came Roger Raincomprix. He had been in there the whole time and had been surprised to hear the alarms going off. He wasn't happy to be walking into a shower of water but he dismissed it and belted down the corridor. He didn't get far before Constantine stood in his way. Roger quickly stopped in his tracks and blinked several times as if he couldn't believe there was somebody right in front of him. He readjusted his hat and stood up straight.

"Sir, I don't know who you are or why you're here but I'm afraid you need to leave now." he boomed, "We appear to have a fire in the building."

"Yeah, I think the bloody sprinklers gave me enough hints mate." the occult con-man remarked, "Before I go, I need to look in the evidence room. I'm here on behalf of the British agency and they're gonna be right up my arse if I don't collect any evidence for them."

Roger had been taken aback by the strange man's crude language and how casually he used it, as well as the fact he seemed rather ordinary looking for somebody who's supposed to be part of the British agency. Plus, he hadn't had any calls saying the British agency was sending anybody to collect evidence for them. But there was a fire drill going off right now and he couldn't afford to waste any time. It wasn't standard procedure to linger during a drill. He was keen to just leave as quickly as possible before he got soaked anymore. Sighing, he stood aside to let Constantine pass.

"Be quick. If you take too long then I'll have to order you out and you'll have to wait until the drill's over." he said.

"Oh don't mind me guv, I'll be in and out before you know it." Constantine said, shrugging casually.

Pleased that Roger had bought his ruse, he headed straight into the evidence room to search for what he'd come for. He was relieved to have a break from the sprinklers for a minute as he entered the room. Of course there wouldn't be any sprinklers in this room as the water could destroy or ruin any evidence that the police had gathered. Constantine took in the sight of rows and rows of shelves, drawers and filing cabinets that always seemed to populate any evidence room. Police stations always seemed to look the same no matter what country he was in. Whoever designed them must've been on very unimaginative architect.

"Now then, if I were a bogey like those guys, where would I keep a peacock-shaped item..." he mused, "Maybe they filed it under "P" for Peacock." he added with a smirk. After all, why wouldn't these officers be so organized as to alphabetically order their evidence?

He whistled the song of the alphabet to himself as he trailed his finger along the letters documenting the evidence drawers, and the occult Detective was forced to place his feet on the bottom of the cabinet to reach higher to where the drawer under P was. Grunting to himself, Constantine pulled the first drawer back and frowned in interest as he saw a tag reading "Top Secret: To be taken by Interpol".

Pulling it back with his hand, Constantine's eyes lit up as he saw the bagged items of the Peacock Miraculous, the Map of Tibet, and a photo of Adrien and his mother, Emilie. Just his luck they were ALL in the same drawer together!

"Would you look at that? Can see where the nipper gets his good looks from, she oughta be proud of him. Whereever she's bloody gone to." Constantine lightly said to himself as he took hold of them, all of them carefully held in his hands as he took himself back to the floor, eyeing the Peacock Miraculous.

"So, guess ol' birdie Gabriel went off the handle because of you. Don't know if you've got a lil' Kwami sitting inside you right now, but rest assured, we'll get the answers quicker than a TV season getting put out. Now, time to exit in style."

He climbed down from the drawers and quickly left the room, not wanting to waste anymore time and give Roger a reason to barge in on him. He was once again showered with water as the occult detective left the dry evidence room and stepped into the still pouring sprinklers of the corridors. He noticed Roger had been standing there waiting for him and he seemed pleased that Constantine hadn't taken too long.

"Got what you needed sir?" the portly officer asked.

"Sure 'ave mate. The British agency wholeheartedly thanks you for your cooperation." Constantine simpered. Experience had taught him that sucking up to an officer and thanking them a lot was a way to get in their good books.

"Glad to be of service. Now let's evacuate." Roger ordered.

Constantine had already started walking off before Roger had finished talking. In a matter of minutes, he had left the police station, leaving Roger and the other officers to contain the situation he had created. How silly would they look if they ever found out it had been him behind the fire the whole time! The con-man noticed the crowds of people standing outside, still wet from the sprinklers, as the officers tried to keep them in order. A part of him felt a little guilty for setting the sprinklers off. These poor people had been through enough thanks to Grail and he was just making things worse for them by giving them a fire in the police station to worry about. But he didn't worry about it too much. At least he hadn't made a fire too big to handle and the situation would be over with in no time.

Constantine headed back over to Master Fu, who was still in the wheelchair and looking more annoyed than pleased to see him. He had quickly taken in Constantine's drenched clothes and soaked hair that was still dripping with water and was almost hesitant to ask what had happened. The occult detective just looked at him innocently, smiling at him casually.

"Mission accomplished Sensei." he snickered cheekily, "Aren't you proud of me for that?"

"What did you do in there exactly?" Fu demanded sternly, "Did you start a fire?"

"What else do you think set off the sprinklers mate?" came the inevitable sarcastic reply from the blonde Brit.

"Do you have ANY idea on how dangerous that was?!" Master Fu exclaimed incredulously, "What if you'd burnt the place down?! And in case you've forgotten, those poor people have already suffered enough horrors thanks to Grail and the damage she's caused lately! They don't need a fire drill to worry about as well!"

"What, do you think I should've been more drastic instead?" Constantine sighed, "Look at it this way Fu-Fu, I could've summoned a demon to keep them busy instead. THAT might've been going too far. Sometimes in life, it pays to cross a few lines. And this line I crossed got us the results we required."

He reached into his coat and showed Master Fu the items he'd collected. The Chinese man took in the sight of the Peacock pendant, the Map of Tibet and the picture of Emile Agreste. It was what they'd come for and a little bit more. Their search for Adrien's mother was now on a step in the right direction with these items in their possession.

"I suppose at the very least, I can congratulate you on a job well done." the Miraculous keeper sighed, almost unable to believe he'd just given Constantine a compliment.

"Do my ears deceive me? Did you just...CONGRATULATE me?" Constantine cried in fake surprise, "I must've walked out that police station into another dimension! Wonder how that happened without my summoning any portals?"

"Alright, alright, no need to be a smart-aleck." Fu muttered, "Let's just leave here before anyone sees us."

Constantine brightened his grim face up as he took the breaks off the wheelchair and spun Master Fu around.

"Sure thing, Sensei, sure thing. Let's take a little detour, though, get more air into those lungs of yours" he offered with a smirk, getting a groan from Master Fu.

"I would've thought this was the appropriate time to disappear into the dark and make a wisecrack." he grumbled, getting a pat on the shoulder from Constantine.

"I actually want to check out the place we'll be stopping by at. Need to know exactly how Adrien had been living before daddy dearest gotten obsessed with power." Constantine replied in a slightly more serious voice, making Master Fu go still at what he was saying, so he threw him a glance as Nooroo and Wayzz poked their heads out of the coat. They hadn't expected Constantine to make this kind of detour. What made him suddenly decide this?

"The Agreste Mansion? But it's been destroyed, there's nothing much of it left." the old man pointed out, getting a quick nod from Nooroo.

"Yes. As much as it was Adrien's home, it was a prison for me and him. I have no desire to see what's left of that horrid place." he added, a hint of dread in his voice at the thought of seeing the place he was hidden inside for a few years.

"I actually think this would be good, for Constantine's sake." Wayzz then said, his voice more reasonable and calm, getting a stare from everyone as they came through the small park that was a few blocks away from the mansion's remains.

"Well, just as he said, it could him understand Adrien more, and it could calm things down between you two. It might be the best for all of us." the green Kwami added with a smile, making a flicker of warmth go through Master Fu's eyes.

For the first time since Grail attacked him, he smiled and patted Wayzz's head.

"Still handing out wise words, my old friend. I'm glad to still have you with me." he said warmly, getting a bigger smile out of him and Nooroo, making Constantine roll his eyes.

"Oh so NOW he smiles. I thought with my family heritage I'd be making people sing and dance." he said sarcastically as they turned a corner towards the quieter estate their destination was located.

Master Fu did not reply to Constantine as he took in the sight that greeted them. Cordoned off by police tapes, forensic tents marked all over the place, and forensic vans blocking the driveway, was the remains of the Agreste Mansion.

As Fu had alluded to earlier, there wasn't much of the mansion left. The exterior was at least somewhat recognizable and gave anyone watching some vague idea as to how it looked thanks to the presence of a few walls and windows that hadn't been knocked down. They wouldn't remain standing for there would be a demolition crew coming in to finish the job later this week. Very soon, nobody would have any idea what the mansion used to look like. The interior itself was the most ravaged part of the luxurious building, absolutely nothing left standing and none of the rooms looking recognizable anymore. Constantine knew that if he and Fu walked inside, they'd just see a mess of broken furniture, caved in ceilings, chunks of rubble, plaster and debris and smashed-up floors. It wouldn't even be worth LOOKING inside as nothing of value was there to look at anymore. What would Gabriel Agreste think if he could see this?

Constantine and Master Fu approached the ruined building to get a closer look. There wasn't much to see but that didn't stop them wanting to venture further. Just by seeing what was left of the place, the British con-man could get some idea on what life was like for Adrien when living there. He would've been one of the few kids in the world that enjoyed luxury such as this mansion. It must've looked grand and like a miniature palace inside when it was intact. And yet wealth such as this had never gotten to the boy's head, nor had he ever really wanted any part of it. He'd just wanted to be normal and accepted among the lower class, which wouldn't be easy at all given the kind of house he lived in. How could anybody with a home like this expect to be treated as anything but a spoilt, rich kid?

It made Constantine think back to Adrien's stories about Marinette he'd told him. Of course, he hadn't been interested but now, he realized how much those stories truly said about himself. Marinette was one of the few people in the world to see the boy he was and not the money he was showered with and the celebrity his father was. No wonder he'd grown so close to her!

"Blimey...never thought the poor sod had it this bad..." Constantine murmured, heading closer to the mansion.

"He did, Constantine. All the lies and manipulation being fed to him was horrible. No child should be treated like this, rich, middle class or poor." Nooroo said sadly, feeling guilty as he still believed it was partly down to himself it came to this. Master Fu sensed it and he smoothed the purple Kwami's head, a small smile on his face.

"I'll...have to be honest. My view on the posh and rich aren't the most softest of views. Even though there's Bruce and Ollie, I always felt the rich didn't give a single fuck about people like me, living rough with drunk and abusive fathers, junkies and bruisers running the whole place into the ground, but...goodness, to think this was like a prison for the poor nipper. It's no wonder he's such a softie. If his old fella was alive, I'd make sure he'd have his head up his arse for rest of his life, properly." Constantine spoke, his voice serious and a hint of emotion on the edge of it.

Master Fu looked at him with slightly softened eyes.

"Adrien, even before he found out about his father, always loved the more normal side of life. I don't know if he told you this but he-"

"Was under house arrest until he was fourteen? Oh yeah, he told me. I found it weird but I've been in Paris for a while and the more I've heard about this Gabriel prick, the more I can see it now. Don't know who had it worse: the emotionally, manipulative controlling rich arsehole Adrien had as a father or the drunken, violent prick of mine..."

Master Fu blinked heavily in astonishment. He hadn't expected Constantine to mention his own parents so out of the blue like this but he also hadn't expected to hear that it was this bad. It was true that he and Constantine didn't get on well but he now began to feel guilty for not getting to know him more. He began to wonder if this was why the occult detective had turned out this way. Maybe it was time he could make amends for that. He wheeled up beside Constantine and looked up at him.

"Your father was abusive to you?" he asked, "How bad was it...if you don't mind me asking?"

"Nothing you've probably not heard before mate." Constantine shrugged, "He was an alcoholic piece of shit who didn't give a rat's arse about me. Much like Adrien, he also used my mother to go about his abhorrent actions. Being an arsehole is bad enough, but USING people as excuses to be an arsehole is just taking the biscuit!"

"It's a sad truth about life I'm afraid." Master Fu said solemnly, "Many people in this world do use others as an excuse for their actions, whether they're right or wrong."

"At least Adrien had a mother who loved him before she disappeared from his life." Constantine murmured, "I never got that luxury as my father caused my mother to have a hangover abortion...which then led to her hopping off to heaven. And then he was left not knowing what to do with an "arty-farty ponce" as he liked to call me. I'd almost say Adrien's like me if his life was less awful. Doesn't mean the poor nipper ain't suffered enough though."

He then glanced down at Master Fu, who had taken out the Peacock Miraculous to look at it again.

"Now we have that little trinket, I guess we can only hope we find Adrien's mother and we can at least give him the pleasure of having a loving parent again...unless she goes balls-off-the-wall crazy because Gabriel's dead." Constantine muttered, "Or knowing our rotten luck, she might be just as evil as he is and then the poor boy will be even MORE miserable. That'd be just like this world to be so cruel wouldn't it?"

"Always the cynical one aren't you?" Fu sighed dismissively.

"Not my fault this farce of a world we live in gives me plenty of reasons to be as such guv." the blonde Brit shrugged casually.

"Well thankfully, I have a feeling she disappeared with good reason. The Peacock Miraculous is one that comes with great knowledge and insight into what could come in the near future. Let us go back home now, I'm sure we'll get more answers from within that map." Master Fu then said in a slightly more optimistic tone, wanting to give the British occult Detective some form of hope to hold onto.

Constantine nodded, a smile on his grim face again as he let out some air from his mouth.

"Sure thing, old mate. Gotta get you back home, can't have you freezing to death or getting mugged. And that would be embarrassing for such a Miraculous holder like yourself." he chuckled as he pushed Master Fu away from the mansion, getting a giggle out of the older man.

"Now that is something I can gladly agree with" he said lightly as they left the remains of the Agreste Mansion behind them. But just as they were leaving, something caught Constantine's eyes and he glanced back. Due to his skills as a detective, Constantine could pick out anything that seemed odd in an instant.

"Hold it right there, Fu-Fu. Nothing weird escapes my eyes, especially a rag of blue that looks surprisingly intact..." he said as he paced back to the damaged fence, pulling out the piece of soft material that was stuck in there. It was a blue scarf, quite long and neatly designed with its own touches to it, and it felt very smooth. Whoever made it must be skilled in making clothes such as this.

"Bring it here, John! Let me see!" Master Fu called, not really wanting to be left alone in the dark of a street corner for long. Going back to the older man, Constantine showed him the scarf he had found.

"Wouldn't happen to be Adrien's, would it? Can't imagine his dad wearing something like this." he pointed out, getting a nod from Master Fu as he took hold of it was shocked and awe filled eyes.

"I remember this...yes, Marinette made this! She told me when she gave me the book! It was for his birthday, but that Nathalie tricked Adrien into thinking it was from Gabriel...let's keep hold of this until they get back. It can show Adrien how much he always meant to Marinette." he said warmly as he kept hold of the scarf, already thinking back to the two teenagers as he wondered when they would be coming home...

* * *

Meanwhile on Apokalips, Grail was standing by the abandoned orphanage that had once belonged to the leader of the Female Furies herself, Granny Goodness. The Amazon/Apokaliptian hybrid had been instructed to stand there and wait for Steppenwolf's forces for Darkseid had predicted they would come here looking for him. Steppenwolf was no fool and Darkseid had guessed he would already have expected that he and his forces would come here to recruit the Female Furies. This was the perfect opportunity to ambush Steppenwolf himself, or at least any of his forces if they did come here. When Darkseid and Grail had arrived at the orphanage, Granny Goodness had of course been ecstatic to see him again. The aged woman's face had never looked brighter.

"My beloved ruler!" she had exclaimed, "Granny is so relieved to have you back to your full strength! I do hope that Grail has been raising you well."

"Grail is the reason that I have returned." Darkseid had simply replied, "Now that I am back, I'm going to take back what is rightfully mine and make my treacherous uncle remember his place in my world. We're going to need you and the female furies on this Granny Goodness..."

And now here they were, waiting for Steppenwolf's forces to arrive. Grail's keen, red eyes swept over the landscape, keeping a close eye out for even the smallest signs of danger. Steppenwolf and his Canine Patrol wouldn't be hard to miss. They were about as subtle as Darkseid himself. And surely enough, Grail caught sight of the Canine Patrol heading towards them. The grey-skinned Apokaliptian smiled grimly. The war to take back Apokalips was about to begin.

"Here they come." she announced, "Stay in your positions and await my command. We'll catch them all by surprise."

Walking calmly out into the open and leaving her father and allies hiding in the near decimated building, Grail had her arms by her swords, unarmed and keeping a relaxed look.

The Canine unit, consisting of two giant dogs clad in armour, their humanoid riders and a small number of Parademons, had picked up speed when their riders saw Grail, who took in the sight of the giant dogs with silent pleasure.

"They don't look as different from the ones back on Earth, or any other mystical beast I've seen in my life. They will be very useful." she thought to herself as the armoured dogs set themselves down, their riders sliding off down their backs.

The taller of the two riders approached Grail with his eyes narrowing in confusion as he stopped in front of her.

"Your highness...you have returned after all these years? Your great uncle shall celebrate your return!" he said, forcing out his pleasure as he bowed before Grail, the other rider following closely along with the Parademons.

Grail smirked, almost touched at the treatment she was getting and also glad they were still as thick as ever in believing it was just her. It would be something she'd enjoy when the time would be hers, but it was going to get more fun.

"There will be a celebration? Let's get it started here then, shall we?" she asked tauntingly, getting a confused frown from one of the riders.

"Um...how do you mean?" he replied.

It was then the walls to the orphanage smashed out into small chunks of rubble, the bulking figure of Granny Goodness wielding her axe in the dust as the Female Furies, from Lashina, Mad Harriet, and Stompa, all of them screeching loudly in joy and insanity, looking mentally out of control as usual.

"IT'S AN AMBUSH!" yelped one of the riders. It was all he managed to do as Granny Goodness tackled him to the ground with a shoulder-slam. He didn't get to do anything else as Granny Goodness hacked him to pieces with her axe, getting some sadistic glee in spraying blood everywhere with every chop.

The other rider drew out a long spear and swiped it at the Female Furies as they tried to surround him. He was fighting a hopeless battle as the three warrior women closed in on him with their weapons in hand. The rider tried to stab Lashina with the spear but the whip-wielding woman simply whipped the spear out of his hand with a single swipe. The rider's hand went numb from the attack and he howled in pain. His pained screams were quickly silenced as Mad Harriet grabbed him by the shoulder and shoved her claws through his back. The tips of said claws protruded out through his chest. Laughing maniacally, Mad Harriet yanked her claws back out of the rider's back, leaving him dead on the ground with a puddle of his own blood forming around him.

The Parademons flew around panicked and began shooting at the Female Furies but they were in such a frightened state, they couldn't aim straight and missed every shot. Grail just smirked, glad to see that Steppenwolf's own Parademons weren't up to the same standards as their own. She effortlessly cut them all down with a single blast of her Omega Beams. Their dissected bodies collapsed onto the ground in a shower of body parts and internal organs. Granny Goodness stood by Grail, carrying her blood-stained axe as if it was an honour to carry it with her. Her grotesque, wrinkled features curled into a hideous smirk of satisfaction.

"Nothing can beat the sight of freshly slayed enemies, am I right dear Grail?" she purred.

"This is what we live for Granny." Grail muttered, not actually meaning what she'd said. To herself, she thought:

 _Just continue deluding yourself into thinking we're on the same side you old hag! It'll make the look on your face SO satisfying to see when I turn on you all!_

"So right my child." Granny Goodness agreed, "We'll keep the canines alive so that we may even it out with Steppenwolf."

"And now is the time we bring the battle to him." Darkseid declared, emerging from the orphanage with a dark look in his eyes, "Let us press on my disciples. The battle for Apokalips begins NOW!"

The Apokaliptian ruler, Grail, Granny Goodness and the Female Furies began to head on forwards, ready to bring the battle to Steppenwolf. This was it, the battle to end all battles as soon to happen! And it would end with Steppenwolf's body a twisted, mangled mess on the battlefield! Darkseid would be back on his throne and Apokalips would be back under his rule with nobody to challenge him again...or so he believed...

* * *

 _ **Constantine and Fu have some clues to the whereabouts of Adrien's mother. What will that entail and how will Adrien react when he gets back to Earth? Before he can, Darkseid is off to declare war on Steppenwolf! Who will win this battle for Apokalips? Will Wonder Woman, Ladybug and Cat Noir retrieve their Miraculous? Tune in next time as our heroes are plunged into "Civil War"...**_


	13. Chapter 12: Civil War

_Chapter 12: Civil War_

The only sound that could be heard in the palace of Steppenwolf was the sound of the horned-man's heavy boots clanking on the floor as he paced back and forth, anxiously awaiting any updates. The only other sound he made was the occasional grunt of anticipation as he made the occasional glance out the window as if expecting something to come straight at him any moment now. He still wasn't sure what it was that had happened earlier and the Apokaliptian was hoping it wasn't the worst thing that he could think of. The last thing Steppenwolf needed was for his insolent nephew to come back and take away what was rightfully his. He actually enjoyed being the man in charge and didn't want to lose all that. With any luck, it would've turned out to be nothing after all and the status quo would remain as it should.

He soon finally received an update for a few soldiers of his came running through the door. They were in such a panic that they almost seemed to fall over themselves comically. Steppenwolf turned around sharply, his elderly features curled into a scowl of slight annoyance. One of the soldiers quickly saluted.

"Lord Steppenwolf! The worst we've feared has come true!" he announced, "It's your uncle, Darkseid! He's...he's back!"

The response he received was far more terrifying than what he could've anticipated. Steppenwolf's eyes flared with indescribable fury and he drew out his battle axe, his face curled into a hideous mask of rage and fury. The soldiers all tried to run from their master before he could unleash all hell on them but Steppenwolf was too quick for them. He slammed the axe down into the floor, creating a shockwave that tore through it and hit the soldiers full on in the backs. Chunks of the floor were ripped up and the soldiers were sent slamming hard into the wall. It was a miracle for all of them that they didn't receive any broken bones after such an onslaught.

Panting heavily, Steppenwolf put away his axe and clenched his teeth. Of all the things that could happen, it just HAD to be the very worst! He turned away from his soldiers and strode up towards the window, mimicking his nephew's iconic hands-behind-back pose as he did so. His eyes fixated on the horizon, almost expecting his loathsome relative to show up right now. So what if Darkseid was back! He'd just defend his throne and give him the honour of being slain by his own hand!

"So...my nephew returns for his precious throne." he purred, his voice a haunting whisper as he murmured aloud, "How meritorious. That means I can now give him a proper death. I shall not be dragged down to my former status as his general. If he wishes to fight, he'll have one..."

He then turned back around and pointed sharply at the soldiers.

"Do you have ANY idea on his whereabouts?" he snapped.

"Y-y-yes L-Lord Steppenwolf!" one of the soldiers whimpered, unable to keep himself from shaking, "He and his associates are on the outskirts of the Armageddon Sector! They'll be coming this way!"

"Then allow us to give my "dear" nephew a warm welcome home..." Steppenwolf crooned smoothly, "Deploy all soldiers and station them in every direction around the palace! We must be protected from ALL sides! I shall go and ready my canine for the battle ahead!"

"Yes my lord!" the soldiers replied, saluting and quickly leaving the throne room to carry out their master's commands.

Holding his axe up to his face, Steppenwolf smoothed the blade of his weapon with intense eyes, his bony chin just inches from getting grazed by it. The hellish general then looked to the window of his throne room, staring up into the red sky.

"You'll only find death waiting for you here, nephew. Too long has this world played the long game. Its hand will stretch across the galaxy under my rule, and I'll make sure I'll keep an inch of your sorry life left as I show you it." his voice grated like acid melting metal, his pupils turning white as he left through the side door of the throne room, readying himself for the new battle for Apokalips.

* * *

Out in the deserted hellish landscape of Apokalips, where the dried, lumpy soil surface was a darker red of that of the sky, our heroic trio had been pacing across the stretch, often having to avoid deep chasms and horrible creatures that were like giant insects of the ones from Earth.

Right now they had found cover after having to avoid a landslide from a giant Dread Worm that had been destroying the huge hills in its path. The sound of its slimy body crawling across the ground and tearing down another hillside made Marinette and Adrien cringe, though both were overcome with relief when it started to disappear in the distance.

"Ugh...don't think I'll be looking at an ordinary worm the same way again!" Marinette groaned as she was helped up by Adrien, who nodded in agreement.

"Just hope this place doesn't have giant spiders, I won't be any use in a fight then." he pointed out with a slight smirk, though a small bit of worry was there in his voice.

Marinette gave him a loving smile as they turned around to see what the Dread Worm left behind, seeing it made a huge, circular opening next to the towering hill of lumpy soil and rocks they had been walking next to.

"You think we can take a shortcut here, Diana?" Marinette asked as she peeked her head over their cover of rubble, with the Amazon princess standing up and leaping over, gesturing at the bluenette and her boyfriend to stay back as she crouched slightly.

Silently, the Amazon walked right into the path that had been made by the Dread Worm, seeing it had come right the opposite way from the highest stretch of rock like walls, noticing a small building in the distance while Darkseid's castle sat far over the hill.

"Seems so, Marinette, we can get to the castle a lot quicker this way. I will warn you, though, they'll likely be horrendous conflict by the time we get there, so whatever you both do, stay close to me." Wonder Woman said firmly as she kept her lasso at the ready, still alert over what else could be out there.

"Will do." came Marinette's reply as she and Adrien catched up with her.

"Just hope Tikki and Plagg don't get lost. I know Darkseid might have them, so he'll be an easy target to go after." Adrien added as they continued towards the deserted building up ahead of them.

"Well if that's the case, we better make it quick, hopefully he won't notice us." Marinette replied as she began to think of the two Kwamis, remembering how sickened and petrified they were from having been fused with Darkseid.

"Hang back a moment. I recognise this building." Wonder Woman quietly instructed, taking notice of its structure. A shiver of disgust ran over her as she took it in, remembering how it was once one of the most secure yet hellish looking of buildings on Apokalips.

"Granny Goodness's Orphanage." she said grimly, her eyes full of dread as she stepped out from her hiding spot.

"Um, what? Who's orphanage?" Marinette asked as she observed the building too, given Wonder Woman was now out in the open and seemed alright, Adrien following her.

"Granny Goodness. I know, it's hard to think such a name could exist on this planet, but it does. She's a disgusting person, captures and tortures children with help from Desaad, trains them to fight as ferociously but skilfully as possible. All to please Darkseid." Wonder Woman explained as they walked towards it, the air thick and warm with a slight burning smell in the air...smell of burning flesh...

"You mean...if Desaad managed to break me and Marinette...we would've ended up here?" Adrien asked in disbelief as he took notice of the remains of the gladiator arena to the back of the building as they got closer, along with the barred windows marked across the building, making it look like a prison more than an orphanage.

"Sadly so. I ended up here while trying to rescue Supergirl. I had help from Big Barda, but it wasn't easy. Be careful now, they might be hiding in what's left of the place like vampires ready to snatch you from the light. I can imagine they revolted against Steppenwolf and paid the price for it, having only their insanity left to help them live here." Wonder Woman explained in more detail as she looked over the damage done to the building, seeing the dust floating from the rubble and the scent of rotting, burning flesh getting thicker in their noses.

"Ugh...looks like someone had a fight here not long ago." Adrien grumbled as he covered his nose, taking the scent in with disgust. Marinette's nose made her eyes trail over to small plumes of smoke coming from around the front, making a sick feeling come over her stomach as she pointed towards the smoke.

"Yeah, and they clearly lost..." she trailed off as they went towards the front with baited breath.

Coming around there, Marinette held off a gasp that she was sure would be followed with her stomach churning up its contents, making Adrien wrap a comforting pair of arms around her as she closed her eyes. He and Wonder Woman took it in, seeing the remains of Steppenwolf's Parademons, their black and red armour scorched and dented while their organs were spread across the ground, green liquid drying up as smaller insects began to eat away at them.

"Yeah, they clearly lost. Steppenwolf must've sent them when he saw Darkseid's transformation energy beam." Adrien guessed correctly, getting a nod from Wonder Woman as Marinette looked to her to avoid looking at the gruesome remains of the Parademons.

"Let's see...if Darkseid came this way, Granny Goodness must've been waiting for him with whatever was left of the Female Furies. Must've ambushed this scouting group and took hold of their canines." the Amazon figured as she pointed at the trail of giant paw prints in the red like ground trailing back towards the largest rock wall not far ahead of them.

"Guess if we follow those, we'll get to Tikki and Plagg a lot quicker." Marinette said in a hopeful tone as she, Adrien and their Amazon friend walked away from what was left of the Parademons.

"Exactly what I was thinking. Beyond that wall is a fort that protects the Armageddon Sector, that's the main city of Apokalips, they'll be attacking the fort." Wonder Woman assumed as they began to follow the paw prints, with Adrien frowning as he took in their size.

"Is...every animal here a giant? Just saying, if there's a giant cat, I'm more than happy to adopt it and train it." he said dryly and distantly as he followed after them, holding his weapons in a tight grip.

"And how would you do that exactly? Tame it with a giant ball of string? Or even better, feed it a giant saucer of milk?" Marinette snickered.

"I wouldn't be surprised if I'd have to feed it a giant mouse." Adrien retorted, "I wouldn't be surprised of Apokalips has any of those!"

Wonder Woman allowed herself a moment to appreciate the fact the teen heroes were still able to make jokes despite basically walking through hell at this point. As inappropriate as it was, it was very welcome, especially after hearing they'd been put through Desaad's torture earlier. The fact they were still joking meant he hadn't broken them and his torture hadn't had any effects on them. Or at least, any serious effects on them. Still, the Amazon was determined to get them away from Apokalips as soon as possible. The longer they stayed here, the more they risked being damaged in any way and she didn't want them to return home in need of a psychiatrist. How would she explain this to Marinette's parents if that was to happen?

Wonder Woman put those thoughts aside for the moment to continue following the giant pawprint trail. Something like this often reminded her of her training back on Themyscira in which Hippolyta would challenge her to find a runaway animal by following its tracks. Back then, it had been good fun but in reality, it had been training for her to become the fine warrior she was now. The ability to track and find the enemy was a useful skill for any fighter and was putting it to good use now. She noticed that the pawprints on the ground had large spaces in-between each print. This meant the canines were running and that they were far ahead. She and the teen heroes would have to pick up the pace if they were to catch up to them. Wonder Woman began to sprint, keeping a steady pace so she wouldn't wear herself out too much. Marinette and Adrien quickened their paces too, though they had to sprint a little faster than Wonder Woman due to having shorter legs than her.

"How far do you think we've got until we catch up to Darkseid?" Marinette called to Wonder Woman.

"There's no way of telling yet, though I imagine if we see any Omega Beams or hear blood-curdling screams in the air, that'll be a sign how close we are!" Wonder Woman called back.

"Didn't think you'd sound anymore cynical." Marinette grumbled at the words Diana had used. It was a reminder to her that the princess of the Amazons' had quite a sense of humour herself.

Their running came to an end when they reached the wall face of the long stretched hillside. Looking up, Wonder Woman kept an eye on any sign of claws or deep tears on the walls' surface, to see if there was an indication of an opening they could get to. Adrien managed to spot them a lot quicker, his bruised face full of seriousness as his hand trailed to the top to follow the claw marks.

"Looks like it's up and over...guess you'll have to super jump, Diana." he said with a sigh, knowing well his body was going to feel an internal shift from the Amazon's Jump. Nodding as she hung her lasso onto her belt, Wonder Woman looped her arms around him and Marinette, and they returned the gesture, holding hands around her back.

"Its going to be quite a jump, so hold on tight. Just imagine you're in a sunflower field on a summer's day." she told them in a more lighter tone, knowing well they were going to feel a little disorientated in a moment.

"I always dreamt of doing that every-DAAAAAAAAYYYY!" Marinette ended up screaming as Wonder Woman suddenly shot up into the sky like a rocket, flying as fast as she could, the warm air filling Marinette's and Adrien's lungs a lot quicker and left their eyelids twitching as their eyes stung.

And as soon as they had left the ground from far below, they found themselves touching ground on a slightly more sandy light brown surface, Wonder Woman exhaling from the short flight she had to take. Her eyes took in their surroundings quickly and shortly saw, far up front was a fort wall stretching around the stacked upon housing that sat beneath Darkseid's castle, as if they were about to be crushed by the huge weight of the place.

The fort was under a great assault from Darkseid's own forces, blasts of laser fire lighting the air up as both sides attempted to annihilate the other. Wonder Woman felt her skin shiver as she could hear the insane cackling of the Female Furies echoing in the air above the battle's other destructive sounds.

Her eyesight took in the Furies riding their giant canines up the wall of the fort, holding her breath back as the canines chomped away at the Parademons and humanoids at the top of the wall, chewing them up and shoving them down their huge throats as if they were bags of sweets, blood of red and green spurting all over the place and giving the wall a new makeover. Both sides' Parademons were taking great casualties, some of Darkseid's green and black Parademons flying over the wall but getting reduced to chunks of flesh from a volley of laser cannons, while Steppenwolf's Parademons tried to push the opposition back by taking to the ground outside the fort, firing away at the other winged creatures with concentrated fire, only to get stamped on by the Female Furies' canines, or ending up as food for the giant dogs.

Keeping hold of Marinette and Adrien as they regained their focus, Wonder Woman shot over to a nearby downed hover vehicle, gently setting them down on their sides as they overcame their brief disorientated moment.

"Are you both alright now?" Diana asked softly as their eyes focussed on her, the two of them taking deep inhales of air.

"Yeah...sort of...caught a glimpse of the big fight...I'll admit, looks a lot trickier than how I first thought." Marinette replied as she peeked her head over the vehicle as Adrien and Diana joined her.

"Any sign of Darkseid?" the former asked as he tried to scan the battle for the frightening former ruler.

"If anything, he'll keep out of the way, finding himself a good position to turn the tide without getting directly involved" Wonder Woman noted sharply as she tried to see where he was.

"So likely on the edge of the battlefield? If so, gonna need to be as stealthy as possible." Marinette responded, keeping a hold of her crescent weapon as she knew she'd have to use it soon.

"The thing is, even if we get hold of Tikki, Plagg and the Miraculouses, there's still having to escape Apokalips. You said you lost our direct link to the Watchtower's own Boom Tube, right?" Adrien then brought up as he looked at Diana, who had a thoughtful look when he said this.

"I guess it's gonna be a case of getting their Father Box and Boom Tubing out of here." Marinette said nervously, thinking over who'd they'd have to go after for a Father Box.

"It will be difficult. Most Father Boxes are built to answer only to their holder, but if I can get my lasso around Grail and ask her for her own Box's Boom Tube code, we can easily get out of here." Wonder Woman explained as she drew out her lasso, knowing well they were getting in for a huge fight.

Marinette then had a thoughtful look of her own as her eyes continued to find Darkseid, a stretch of a plan coming in her own head.

"You know...this is gonna sound risky, well this whole thing is risky, but...if we do that...maybe we could open it somewhere to trap Darkseid in. Like I said, risky, but it'd actually save Earth and other planets a lot of worry...could get rid of Steppenwolf too." she said more to herself, not noticing Adrien and Wonder Woman staring at her in shock.

"Okay...I'm loving that look, shows she's getting somewhere and it's good." Adrien said confidently with a smirk, getting a slight jolt from Marinette as she realised they were looking at her.

"As the saying goes, kill two birds with one stone...it could work. Just going to be a case of finding Darkseid and Steppenwolf so-"

She was cut off as a horrible high pitch screech filled the air, making the Amazon and her two friends cover their ears as their eyes took in what was going on in the battlefield now. From the far left, a frightening zigzag of Omega Beams filled the air, as if they were lightning tearing up the whole sky, thundering downwards to the fort wall. A huge explosion caused the battle to come to a stop as chunks of the wall flew outwards on either side, crushing any Parademons or Apokaliptian on both sides, burnt remains of the bodies of those on the wall scattered across the ground.

A breakthrough had been made by one swift blow from Darkseid, who the trio could now see having traced back the Omega Beams from their starting point, seeing he was on a mound of rocks with Grail and Granny Goodness by his side. Watching with their breath stuck in their throats, Marinette, Adrien and Diana could see Darkseid calmly walking into his own army as they made an advance, laser fire bouncing off his body as if they were stones.

Marinette grimly looked at Diana as the attackers made their way through the hole Darkseid made.

"There he is...we all ready to do this?" she asked in a serious tone, knowing this was their moment. Adrien nodded straight away, holding her hand with a smile and the warmth in his eyes still there despite his bruised and bloodied face.

"With you until the end, Marinette." he said confidently, happy he was still by her side right now.

Wonder Woman, at this moment, was filled with worry. She had seen these two bravely fight against incredibly powerful Akuma victims, a godlike Joker and they had held their own against Parademons...but here they were, in Apokaliptian armour, under her protection and so far from their homes on Earth...they hadn't gone into a fight like this before and a part of Diana was desperate to keep them back while she did the hard work...but she knew they wanted to do this. They had proven time and again they were not going to give up so easily. Like Donna, Cassie, and so many other Teen Titans, they were in this whether it was going to kill them or not. All she needed was to have faith...

Holding Marinette's hand and looking into hers and Adrien's eyes, the loving and warm smile of Diana spread across her face, a light against the dark of the horrendous world they were in. And a light filled their eyes at this. They had hope. Hope that they would win this and live through it. They were ready...and so was she.

"Let's get our friends and get back home." Wonder Woman said softly, her lasso ready in the other hand.

With the plan in mind, the three heroes left their hiding place and charged towards the terrifying war that was unfolding before them. As they ran towards the battle, they saw Darkseid and the Female Furies pressing on the assault against Steppenwolf's forces, slaughtering Parademons, humanoids and canines on his side with little trouble. As far as the fight was going, Steppenwolf's forces may as well have been ants trying to fight an elephant with how easily they were being felled. One canine threw itself at Darkseid with the ferocity of a wolf leaping on its prey but the Apokaliptian ruler simply vaporized the unfortunate animal with one blast of his Omega Beams. His beams didn't stop there. They continued to zig-zag ahead, striking down another group of canines as they came towards him with claws and teeth bared, ready to rip apart. They were all reduced to dust one at a time as the beams hit them. A swarm of Parademons buzzed around him and began shooting at their former master but Darkseid wasn't effected. It was like throwing pebbles at a brick wall as far as he was concerned. Smirking, he cut them all down with another blast of Omega Beams.

"It is good to be home." he sneered, relishing the sheer amount of carnage that was happening around him. It was like he'd never left Apokalips.

He quickly regained his focus as he saw another canine bounding towards him, keen to devour him piece by piece. Its jaws were streaming with saliva as it opened wide, ready to sink its teeth into the restored Apokaliptian. Darkseid just casually braced himself and drew an arm back, aiming and throwing a well-timed punch to the throat on the canine. A punch from Darkseid was enough to make anybody stop breathing and the canine did just that, falling down dead as the air was quite literally knocked out of it. He wasn't sure what that felt like to the canine, but Darkseid imagined it had died before it could even register what had happened after that punch. With how easily this fight was going, he would have this battle won in no time! He turned to Granny Goodness, who was once again relishing the amount of bloodshed as her axe painted the ground green with Parademon blood.

"Gather the Female Furies together and press on the assault! We can take control of the fort if we continue onwards like this!" he bellowed.

"Take the fort in one fell swoop...I like it." Granny Goodness purred deviously, "Furies, on me! We finish this fight NOW!" she screeched.

Stompa cracked her knuckles, Lashina readied one of her chains like it was a lasso of her own while Mad Harriet cackled crazily as Granny Goodness climbed onto her own canine, taking lead of the Furies as they began to charge towards the hole in the fort, ploughing right through waves of armoured Apokaliptians and Parademons in front of them.

"FOR DARKSEID!" Granny Goodness yelled disgustingly as she slashed down an incoming Parademon with her axe, green blood splashing onto her canine as they reached the hole. Stompa went on to leap off her canine and tore through the air like a rocket, curling herself into a ball as she came down on the other side of the fort, opening her legs as she neared the ground.

Landing with a thunderous crack, a small shockwave shot out from where she touched down, causing the cavaliers to fall off their own canines while Parademons around her dropped their guns as they were knocked back. Grinning, the beefy woman shot her hands out, crushing one Parademon's head with one, and punched a hole right through the other, before tossing the bodies out as projectiles into those around her. Stompa went on to pick up a large piece of rock and brought it down on another pair of Parademons, reducing them to a slimy splatter, before tossing it out in a clear straight line towards the hole, crushing anything in its way and reducing them to chunks of severed limbs and blood.

A few Parademons swooped down onto Stompa and dogpiled her, hitting her with their fists and guns to try and weaken her, but she just smirked as she dug her fingers into some of their chests and twisted them around, making them slump off of her in a messy heap, before she threw off all the others into different directions. Grinning, she leapt off to continue her work with a few others.

Lashina was next to go in, her canine chewing through anything its giant jaws could get hold of, turning the living beings into chunks of meat. Lashina grinned as she shot her chain out and ensnared one Parademon into it. She went on to use that one as a wrecking ball, swinging him through the hordes of many of the winged creatures in front of her and sending them scattering like trees collapsing in a heap.

Leaping off her canine, Lashina came across a few cavaliers that had lost their canines and were now just shooting down any Parademon they could lay their eyes on. Smirking as they looked at her, Lashina swung her hips in a seductive manner as her chains hung from her wrists almost harmlessly. As the three of them looked at each other in confusion, Lashina bared her teeth in a vicious grin as she shot the chains out ahead of her and watched as they tore through two of the cavillers. Before the third one could react, she leapt forward and slammed her knee right right into his groin, a loud crunch ringing throughout the battlefield as his eyes rolled back and he split in two from groin to head. Lashina smirked as she patted her bloodstained knee before continuing her work.

With Darkseid, he calmly tore a Parademon in half with a squeeze on its torso while blasting another coming at him from behind. Grail kicked one with enough strength that sent it's head flying off, before letting her Omega Beams tear through the sky of incoming enemy bugs, turning them to ash before they could realise what she was doing. Running to her father's side, Grail gotten his attention as he looked down at her with a firm look.

"Father, I have the Kwamis and the Miraculouses. Let me go further in and try to take more strategic points, beyond the wall. I won't lose them then." she suggested to him as he calmly shot a fist up as a Parademon flew in towards her, dead as soon as it collided with his hand.

"Do what you must, daughter. Do not fight my uncle if you see him, though. I'll handle him." he coldly replied, something Grail was pleased to hear.

"Thank you, father. I assure you, our prized prisoners will not be harmed." Grail told him as she backflipped into the crowded fight, drawing out her own blade as she twirled through the air and sliced it through many enemy Parademons in her way, making them collapse in many severed chunks of flesh and organs.

"Just need to wait for them to be in the same spot, then I'll be rid of them both." Grail said to herself as she tore through the air, leaping towards the top of the fort wall on the far left, glancing at her pouch to see Tikki and Plagg were still there, the opening to the pouch tightly shut.

With our heroic trio, they were right in the middle of the battling horde of aliens. Wonder Woman chose to stay on the ground so as to avoid being seen by Darkseid, who they were trying to get to as he calmly walked through the waves of Apokaliptians around him.

Adrien spun his spear down onto one Parademon's foot before driving his spiked helmet into its face, making it collapse in a heap, before shoving the electric baton into the face of another Parademon, pressing hard down on the button as the shock tore through the winged creature, killing it.

Marinette charged up her crescent shaped weapon, seeing it made a circular green aura that extended to her elbow. Using it as a wrecking ball of sorts, Marinette used all the strength she had in her arms to knock aside any of the Parademons in her way. What helped her mostly was that she was on neither side, it was a case of hitting any alien closest to her. The aura worked well for Marinette, who used it to deflect blasts of laser fire coming at her, but she could see she wasn't making much progress, and neither was Adrien and Diana, the latter of whom was tearing down anything that came at her.

Crouching down, she turned off the button she had been pressing and frantically looked inside the slot.

"Okay, two buttons...let's see what the other one does." Marinette said to herself as she pressed the other button. Her arm almost went numb as a jolt went through it as the weapon fired a shower of laser beams out in front of her, taking down waves of the creatures that had been stalling their progress, leaving a huge space of ground they could run through towards the wall.

Marinette gasped in amazement at what her weapon did, while Adrien grinned at her.

"Always finds the best kinds of weapons, with or without a Miraculous." he said gladly as he rolled under a caviller's spear swipe and swept him out from below, making him land in a heap.

"Guess the best way forward is to follow Marinette!" Diana pointed out as she dislocated another Parademon's arm and slammed his head off with her knee with great strength, before head butting a cavalier in her way and sent him tumbling into a few Parademons that soon made quick work of him.

The Amazon and teen boy kept close to Marinette as she pressed onwards, using her weapon to slice up Parademons and Apokaliptians in their way with a single laser blast. Many tried firing back at the trio but the aura the weapon formed around Marinette to protect her prevented any shot from getting close. The bluenette continued to fire away, cutting down anything that was shooting at her. As much as she missed her powers as Ladybug, Marinette had to admit that she was enjoying having a projectile weapon for a change. She wouldn't have liked using this against any of Hawk Moth's akuma minions though as she wouldn't have wanted to kill any of them.

As the heroes made their way towards the wall, Darkseid and his forces were also getting closer to the fort. The battle was going his way! He was winning! Soon they'd be over the wall and make their way into the fort itself to overthrow Steppenwolf and reclaim his rightful place! It seemed that he was still going to have very little resistance to deal with as he continued to mow down many of Steppenwolf's forces with his Omega Beams. He almost felt a little disappointed. The fight was going too easily for him. It would make his victory feel shallow in the end for it would feel like he hadn't really fought hard for it, but he didn't care. Darkseid felt that he was owed an easy victory for change, especially since he'd just been restored to full power.

But then he found himself against the first genuine threat of the battle. He stopped dead in his tracks as he saw a familiar horned figure riding upon a canine tearing down the hill the fort was stationed on and thundering towards him, using a familiar axe to hack down anybody standing in his way. One of the Female Furies even tried to attack this oncoming threat but was quickly knocked down with a vicious backhand to the face, the pace of the canine he was reading on not even slowing. The canine then screeched to a halt and the rider leapt off, slamming down onto the ground in a heavy slam that made the ground shudder violently and caused Darkseid to stagger back a little. He regained his composure, refusing to be downed by a simple shockwave resulting from a ground slam. His eyes narrowed as he found himself face-to-face with the very Apokaliptian he had come to reclaim his throne from.

"Steppenwolf." he muttered bluntly, "How wonderous it is that you've deigned to show up. I was growing concerned that my victory would be too easy."

"Darkseid...still as arrogant as ever." Steppenwolf retorted, "I don't know how you've managed to return to proper form but I care not for the answers. All I care for is to see this war concluded with me standing triumphant over your lifeless corpse!"

"Why carry out this meaningless conflict uncle?" Darkseid asked, sounding more bored than anything else, "Do you realize how much men and resources are being wasted when we could be putting them to better use? You could save Apokalips a load of unnecessary strafe if you simply fall back into place and remember that my word is law here, and my will is everything on Apokalips."

"WAS. Me and my followers believed that it was time for a new world order." Steppenwolf growled, "Your senseless grudge against the mortals of Earth along with your fruitless quest to find that blasted equation you seek so eagerly have led Apokalips into conflict that has done more harm than good for any of us! While you were being cared for by your wench of a daughter, I was restoring Apokalips to its former glory! If we allow you to take charge again, you'll just undo everything I have done to keep us all alive!"

"No Steppenwolf, I will lead us all to victory." the Apokaliptian warlord snapped, "I have come closer than ever to finding the Anti-Life Equation. Stand down now and let me reclaim my throne, and we can all find it together...and the universe will be ours at last."

"I might consider accepting your proposal nephew...but only if I get to stay in charge of our world." the horned general replied.

"There is only I who shall lead this world Steppenwolf." Darkseid insisted, "If you will not cede to my demands, then maybe you will welcome the embrace of death!"

With that said, he fired a blast of Omega Beams at his treacherous uncle. Unfortunately for him, Steppenwolf had anticipated the move and had already leapt out of the way before the beams could hit him. The single blast tore up chunks of rock and gravel from where Steppenwolf had been standing before. Brandishing his axe, Steppenwolf charged in and swiped it at Darkseid, catching him on the side of his face with it. The attack was enough to stun Darkseid for long enough so Steppenwolf could follow up the axe blow with a shoulder-slam into the chest and a powerful uppercut to the face that, had Darkseid been a mere mortal, would've taken his entire head off. Darkseid stumbled backwards but didn't fall, regaining his balance and running towards his uncle. He threw a punch that could fell an entire house at Steppenwolf, sending him hurling backwards and momentarily disorienting him. The general got back to his feet only to receive several more punches from Darkseid, each blow somehow harder and heavier than the one before it. Darkseid then aimed for Steppenwolf's face, but the general swung his head forward and hit Darkseid between the eyes. That was enough to momentarily stun his opponent and leave him open for attack.

Steppenwolf sheathed his axe so he could use both hands to pick Darkseid up and effortlessly haul him above his head as if he weighed no more than a single penny. Then, just like an Olympic athlete throwing the hammer, he spun around on the spot whilst holding Darkseid. He moved so fast that the world became a blur of colours to him and his opponent. Then with perfect timing, he let go of Darkseid and sent him hurling through the air like a cannonball. The armour-clad Apokaliptian spiralled through the air and crashed down heavily several feet far ahead. He had landed such a distance away that Steppenwolf didn't even hear the impact. Smirking, he leapt into the air as if a giant spring had been activated under his feet. He drew out his axe and held it high above his head, ready to swing down and cleave his nephew in two.

But unfortunately to him, Darkseid had already recovered and had leapt into the air to join him. The horned-Apokaliptian was so taken aback that he didn't even have time to defend himself as his loathsome nephew powered straight into him with a punch that could've shattered his skull if he had been a mortal. The two Apokaliptians plummeted to the ground with Darkseid on top of Steppenwolf, the heavy impact enough to send a shockwave spreading through the battlefield. A small crater had formed around where the two had landed. Darkseid and Steppenwolf both stood up, facing each other with hatred in their eyes. They were poised, ready to strike at the slightest provocation. They circled slowly, looking for an opening.

"It is good to finally have a worthy opponent." Darkseid sneered, "It'll make my victory more savoury when it's over."

"When I hold up your head to show that you are finally dead nephew, all the people of Apokalips will learn that their true ruler is me!" Steppenwolf roared.

"You should know killing me will do you no good, foolish uncle. Superman couldn't kill me, nor the Omega Gollum, nor Doomsday. You will learn for the rest of your life that Darkseid Is!" Darkseid shot back, his eyes letting out another tear of his Omega Beams through the air, circulating around Steppenwolf's body to stop him from escaping. Steppenwolf just smirked as he brought his axe up over his face, protecting him from the fatal blast of the Omega Beams, which deflected back into Darkseid's other shoulder, making him cease his assault before blocking an incoming punch from the horn-headed general.

Unknown to them, standing among the many gruesome remains of Steppenwolf's own forces in one side of the wall was Grail, crouching low as she tightly held the Father Box in one hand, her eyes glowing dangerously.

"That's it, almost there...just need to wait for Granny Gruesome to get there, and then the Source Wall will be their new home, and I'll lead Apokalips into the age it rightfully deserves." she said to herself, wanting to finish off her two relatives for good.

Not so far from where Darkseid had crashed earlier, the surviving forces of both sides began to recover from their disorientation, picking themselves back up to continue their horrific fight. But hidden amongst them was the frozen form of Marinette, who gasped loudly as she found her weapon's aura extended itself all over not only her body but to Adrien and Diana too, protecting them from the shockwave.

Recovering from their moment of shock, they stayed low behind their hiding spot to avoid being seen by both sides of the warring Apokaliptian rulers. They peeked their heads out and got a good look at Darkseid and Steppenwolf as they continued their fight, with Darkseid grabbing a few Parademons, activating their energy grenades and slamming them into Steppenwolf, blowing him back a few feet with slight damage done to his armour. Diana cringed at the sight of the Apokaliptian general, not having had the best experience with him.

"I...I don't see Tikki or Plagg on Darkseid." Marinette said nervously, noticing Darkseid didn't have any extra weight on his belt.

"What...what if he's given them to Grail?" Adrien wondered aloud, his voice full of dread over the thought of having to journey through the body littered land to find the Kwamis.

"But she's not here...where could she be?" Marinette asked in confusion as she tried to see where the grey skinned woman was.

"And what is she up to?" Diana asked more herself as her eyes scanned the battlefield, remembering how Antiope taught her to rely on memory and strategic planning over how to pick out a key enemy in a huge battle.

"If he gave her Tikki and Plagg, she'll be sticking out on the edge of the battle, probably observing her father..." she noted as her eyes trailed up to what was left of the fort wall.

Adrien followed her gaze and frowned, not knowing something was coming at him from behind.

"Guess that means we're in for another super l-AGHK!" he was cut off as a big, thick chain wrapped around his neck and tore him back from Marinette and Diana, who looked on in alarm as they saw Lashina pulling him towards her.

"No, Adrien!" Marinette cried as, without even thinking, fired at Lashina with her crescent weapon, managing to pelt her with a few blasts in her armoured sections that drew her back. Adrien gritted his teeth in frustration at what Lashina was doing, going on to planting his feet on the ground and back flipped towards the chain wielding woman, who was shocked at his acrobatic skill to even register he had landed and swiftly jabbed her in the stomach with his electric baton, making her cry out in pain and losing her hold of Adrien, whom Diana leapt over and kicked Lashina hard in the face loud enough for a cheekbone to crack.

Scanning her eyes around then as she drew out her lasso, Diana saw Mad Harriet not far away slashing up as many Parademons as she could, leaving her greatly unsettled as she glanced back at the two teens.

"Stay low! Don't fight these women, they'll rip you to pieces in seconds!" she ordered as Lashina shot out another chain at the Amazon, who ensnared the metal weapon with her lasso, pulled Lashina right towards her and kneed her in the groin, making her eyes nearly pop out with a high squeal from the crunching pain the Amazon delivered, before she was taken out with a swift headbutt by Diana, who quickly ran back towards Marinette and Adrien as they took on a few Parademons.

Marinette slid underneath the legs of one and managed to shoot it down from behind before kicking a cavalier soldier in the face and sent him tumbling into another, while Adrien slid across the dirt on his knees, tripping one Parademon over with his baton and shoved his spear into it's neck, then quickly whacked off a swipe from another and gave it a vicious shock from the baton. Diana was trying to clear a path for her friends with her speed, grabbing one Parademon from behind and swiftly drove it into a crowded lot of others, zigzagging across the battle before hurling a huge ball load of them into the wall, leaving them in an unconscious heap.

Grail had been watching all of this unfold right before her eyes and held off a gasp at the sight of the Amazon and the two humans in the middle of the fight, clenching her fist in anger.

"They...they escaped!? And Diana is here now!?" she almost yelled in frustration, almost crushing her Father Box in her moment of anger.

Deciding to breathe and close her eyes for thought, Grail exhaled tiredly as another plan came to her head.

"I'll just have to play the game a little longer...have to bring in a stalemate." she said to herself as she pocketed her Father Box and stood up at full height, opening her eyes with a deadly glow.

On the ground, Darkseid had blocked another incoming punch from his uncle but cried out in frustration as Steppenwolf brought his axe down onto his forearm, leaving a deep cut in his gauntlet. Using his other arm to grab the axe and kicking Steppenwolf out off his feet, Darkseid twisted his arm and drove the axe towards his neck, ready to slice it right through.

Wonder Woman delivered a punch on one Parademon's head and kicked it down, while Marinette stood close to her side as she fired another load of laser beams at incoming horde of Parademons in the sky, while Adrien stabbed another Parademon in the knee and shoved his electric baton up his chin and shocked him hard...but then came the point of the battle that brought it to a stop.

Cracking through the air at a fearful speed and size, two Omega Beams tore across from the left side of the wall and zipped right across the battlefield, a deep cleft in the ground left in its wake as they trailed towards Darkseid and Steppenwolf, forcing the former to leap off of his uncle to avoid getting hit, then they zigzagged right towards Marinette, Adrien, and Diana, the last of whom gasped fearfully for the two teens and quickly threw them back from the incoming beams as the ground tore away from each other like that of an earthquake, the beams finishing their work by slicing down as many both warring forces and right through the other side of the fort wall, causing it to tumble on a few Apokaliptians and crushing them with its great weight.

Dust clouded everyone's vision, leaving them all confused and dazed over what had just happened, thinking as if the planet itself had had enough and split its surface to stop the gruesome fight that was going on. For the moment, the fight had stopped and a heavy silence had fallen upon the battlefield. The sudden shift from deafening noise to dead silence hit the combatants like a heavy weight, everybody stunned to suddenly have everything be so quiet. Marinette and Adrien had landed beside each other after Wonder Woman had thrown them back from Grail's attack. They were both unconscious, though not for very long as they both slowly woke up, sand sprinkling down from their hair. Marinette put a hand to her head groggily, trying to get her brain to stop bouncing around inside her skull.

"Ugh...that came out of nowhere..." she muttered.

"Yeah, and lucky for us, we didn't get hit by the beams!" Adrien cried, brushing sand off of his shirt.

"But Darkseid didn't do that...and the beams didn't just try to get us." Marinette observed, "It seems like they went through both sides." she said as she took in all the dead bodies strewn over the battlefield.

"So if Grail did this then why did she attack her own men as well?" Adrien asked, "That doesn't make any sense!"

He then yelped in surprise as something slammed down on the ground behind him and Marinette. Both teens turned around and cowered back in terror as they realized the very woman Adrien had mentioned was now standing before them. Grail looked down at the two, a cruel smirk on her beautiful face.

"Didn't anybody ever tell you that children should be kept AWAY from the battlefield?" she sneered condescendingly.

* * *

Further away on another part of the battlefield, Wonder Woman was lying on the ground unconscious too. She had hit her head after being blown backwards during Grail's attack. She was lying still as two of Steppenwolf's Parademons looked over her, sniffing her curiously. They weren't sure if she was dead or not. They soon got their answer when Wonder Woman stirred and slowly raised her head. She groaned a sickly groan as she came to, feeling as if her body had been through much worse than it already had. Upon opening her eyes, she saw a huge armoured man with a horned helmet standing before her, looking down at her with interest. Despite the earlier onslaught that had stopped the fight, he didn't look too much the worse for wear, only a little dirty from all the sand around him and with a few chinks in his armour. The Amazon's face curled into a scowl of hate as she registered who it was.

"Steppenwolf..." she hissed.

"How serendipitous." the general purred as, sounding like he'd found the Holy Grail, "An Amazon lies helpless at my feet. Why you're here and what you're doing here, I'll find out in due time. For now, I'll keep you detained until I can figure out what use you can be. Seize her and take her to the dungeons!" he barked to the two Parademons.

The insectoid creatures obeyed and grabbed Wonder Woman by the arms. They dragged her towards the fort as Steppenwolf led the way. Wonder Woman was helpless, too weak to fight back after what had happened earlier. Her legs dragged against the ground, leaving a snake-like trail in the sand behind her. The Amazon could only hope she'd be able to escape from Steppenwolf's custody. But she wasn't worried about herself. She was more concerned for Adrien and Marinette. What danger were they in now she was a prisoner of Steppenwolf...?

* * *

Grabbed by the backs of their necks, Marinette and Adrien's feet lightly dragged across the red sand and dirt of the battlefield, grazing across the dead bodies from both sides. The two teens were almost too exhausted to struggle against her, but it didn't stop Marinette from noticing the pouch on Grail's belt, making her glare at the grey skinned woman.

"If you've hurt them both, I'll-"

"Relax, they're still in a state of shock, as helpless as they can be while we have them. Don't think they'll merge with you again anytime soon." Grail interrupted smugly as she then came to a stop as a huge shadow stretched over them. Marinette and Adrien's bodies tensed up, knowing fully well who it was they were brought before.

"I apologise for bringing in a stalemate, father, but as soon as I saw these two out here, I realised they could be...very useful for a quicker victory." Grail explained in a calm tone as she threw Marinette and Adrien to the ground, making them grunt in frustration as they looked up, feeling their bodies freeze as they looked into the face of Darkseid, who stood before them as calm as ever, his eyes piercing them without even lighting up his Onega Beams...

* * *

 _ **The fight, stalemated! Marinette and Adrien, seized by Grail and at the feet of Darkseid! Wonder Woman, captured by Steppenwolf! Holy shit, could this situation get any worse for our heroes?! 0_0 How will Wonder Woman escape? And what will Darkseid do with Marinette and Adrien? Only one way to find out...tune in next time as the adventure continues. ;)**_


	14. Chapter 13: Negotiations

_Chapter 13: Negotiations_

The slight breeze of the humid air and gust of dust like clouds were the only sounds that filled the greatly damaged site at edge of the Armageddon Sector. For the past eight minutes, both sides had halted their moves following the destructive cleft in the ground formed by Grail's Omega Beams, trailing from one side of the fort wall to the other. Parademons serving the opposing sides stood guard by the edges, their guns all aimed at each other and steadying themselves keeping an eye out for anything that might give them reason to fire at each other again.

It was then the masses of the creatures all began to turn on their feet, crunches of soil and rock getting louder as the winged insect soldiers all bowed on their knees as their two leaders made their way towards the edges of their respective grounds, Darkseid walking as calmly as ever with his hands behind his back and stood tall as ever despite the dents and scratches his armour had received, his eyes relaxed yet full of subtle hatred as he faced Steppenwolf, who walked with a heavier stride, each footstep longer than the other as his axe hung closely to his side, his eyes now black again instead of the white glow they held earlier.

Standing opposite each other, the two Apokaliptian leaders silently studied how the other looked, seeing if they were going to make an sudden movements that needed to be dealt with. But as much as they wanted to pound their faces into oblivion, both deep down wanted this to be done with quickly as the fate of their planet was resting on them.

Darkseid looked around to take in the damage and while he normally didn't have much care for the civilians caught up in his war on other worlds but...he was now frustrated to see many homes had been destroyed, and the dead of the civilians littered the ground like dead insects. He kept his strong look up despite exhaling as he looked back to Steppenwolf, who smirked cruelly at him.

"I have to say, nephew, you are that desperate to get your precious little throne back that you're willing to decimate your own kingdom, aren't you? This will be well remembered in the future, where the foolish child of Apokalips threw his toys out of the pram when he couldn't get his hands on the throne. Just face it, child: you are not wanted here anymore, neither are you needed. Turn back now and rule a small junkyard, live among the wild cretins you used to rule over, see what it's like." Steppenwolf taunted, his arms gestures wide at his sides in a proud look, almost sure he had won the fight.

Darkseid, however, snorted in disappointment, shaking his head as he took in the many dead around them.

"For a general, you didn't take the civilians into consideration, did you, uncle? Yes, they are miserable, fearful simpletons, but they're resourceful, useful to keep Apokalips alive and keep the Parademons spawning continuously on this planet. Wouldn't a general have ordered his resources to be secured and well protected, instead of being slaughtered in the middle of a battle?" he shot back, silently taking in the sight of Steppenwolf's smirk vanishing and a frown of confusion and slight embarrassment came over him.

Keeping his hands behind him, Darkseid spoke again, now knowing he had an edge over Steppenwolf at this point.

"Let's face it, uncle: you are a barbaric brute who only desires the honour and blood of battle. You aren't a born leader, you are just a general tasked to lead the mindless and strongest of the army to conquer planets. You can instigate pride, bravery and power in our army, and you carry the weight of my power when we sought to conquer others, carrying my fearful presence with you. You've always known that, hadn't you? You're just an extension of my shadow's stretch on the universe. You'll never be the true leader of Apokalips even after you had been sitting on the throne." he analysed, as if he was trying to break him down piece by piece.

Gritting his teeth behind his lips, Steppenwolf's eyes narrowed as he felt a pang of hurt hit his pride, but he wouldn't give Darkseid the satisfaction of seeing had done so. Yet before he could come up with a response, he looked confused as Darkseid raised his hand over the chasm in between them, yet not a look of care or sympathy on him.

"This doesn't have to go on, uncle. Why waste more lives when we can restore true power and unity to the planet and let Apokalips be reborn stronger than ever? Work for me again as you did so before, and I will spare you any punishment that will make you beg to be erased from existence. And think carefully about how you'll respond, because it could be the last thing you will end up doing." he advised, his tone lower now so as to reach out to his uncle with some form of compassion.

Steppenwolf stared at the outstretched hand with deep uncertainty in his eyes. Yes, he still wanted to keep his hands on the throne and was up for fighting Darkseid until the end, but...he was right, he wasted a lot of useful resources in his desperation to keep hold of the throne, and given the Armageddon Sector was the second biggest source of Apokalips' power, the damage it suffered could affect the whole planet, and that could be another problem for his rule over Apokalips...

His eyes then hardened and a sudden thought came to the horn headed general's mind. Steppenwolf was not going to let his exiled nephew come taking back something he wanted for so long, and if he had made mistakes, he would take care of them on his own. And this new set of thoughts gave him an idea as he remembered what he had in the castle. Smirking, he looked to Darkseid and spoke again.

"You giving me advice? Then let me give you some advice, nephew, as I want you to reconsider any next move you might have in mind. After you were turned into a squealing little baby, I made sure everything about you was locked away, and that extended to our relative, the youngest of our family: Kalibak".

No one but Steppenwolf saw the eyes of Darkseid widen slightly and his fingers pulled back slightly, almost shocked at the mention of the name, and it felt like an achievement to see him like this. Steppenwolf chosen his next words carefully, so as to not get blasted by Omega Beams.

"Don't you worry, he's been well fed and he sleeps soundly, just the wet and cold deep of the dungeon. Yet you should know that dungeon has many gruesome tools that can be used for painful torture, and it's well guarded. All I have to do is press the com on my belt to send out a frequency that will tell my Parademons to kill him. He will be dead even before you kill me. And given he's all that's left of the one person you loved, I suggest you think carefully about what you'll do next, nephew." he said, his voice calm yet having a slightly excited edge to it, imagining the image of Darkseid being utterly mindless and out of control if he were to go through with his threat.

Darkseid clearly gritted his teeth behind his lips and breathed deeply so as to keep his temper under control, yet he clenched his outstretched hand and put it behind his back, eyeing Steppenwolf with hatred in his eyes. Opening his mouth, he spoke with a lot of restraint on his voice.

"I will take your words to heart. Let my son be unharmed while I think over something more...fitting for the situation. Uncle." he said lowly as he turned around and made his way back into the crowds of his forces, leaving a smirking Steppenwolf watching him disappear behind the winged creatures.

"Do hope its good, nephew." he said as he turned around and made his way back into the swarm of his Parademons and cavillers, looking to one of the riders as he came further away from the edge.

"Is the Amazon restrained?" he asked with interest, getting a nod from the rider.

"Yes sir. Power inhibitors have been clamped to her neck and wrists, given she's the princess of the Amazons and having godly powers. She won't get loose." he told his general, who smiled rather frighteningly.

"Ah, good. Take her to the castle. When she's in the dungeon, I wish to talk with her, see if I can get some understanding from her, given she's such a compassionate warrior." he said more to himself as he made his way towards his canine, knowing well the stalemate would continue for now.

* * *

As Darkseid left to return to his daughter and the captive teenage heroes they had in their grasp, he was fuming. It wasn't often that Darkseid found himself actually fuming but here he was now, unable to believe that Steppenwolf had put him in a situation where he was now at risk of losing what he loved. That conniving general had the gall to lock up his son and threaten his life?! Who did he think he was dealing with by doing this?! If he thought that Darkseid would keel over and play nice for him, the horned general was sorely mistaken! Darkseid was already imagining what he would do to that bastard uncle of his as he returned to Grail, pleased to see she still had Marinette and Adrien by her side. At least he still had some valuable captives of his own that he could hopefully use to benefit himself and his armies in this conflict. As he approached, Grail was quick to notice that her father didn't seem so confident. This interested her and she was quick to ask about it.

"Why father, you seem agitated." she noted innocently, "Is there something wrong?"

"Steppenwolf has apprised me on a very distressing matter." Darkseid explained, "He apparently has my son, Kalibak, in his custody."

Adrien leaned over to Marinette and whispered, hoping they wouldn't hear him.

"Geez, he has a son as well?! It's freaky enough imagining him having one kid, let alone two!"

"I'd hold your tongue if I were you!" Grail hissed, "Father doesn't take insults lightly."

Adrien quickly closed his mouth and didn't dare to say anything else. Marinette remained silent, worried that if she made a single noise, she would be vaporized. Grail looked over at Darkseid, her face devoid of any compassion for her half-brother.

"You say that like that's a bad thing father." she said, "Kalibak's a buffoon! A simpleton! You're not telling me that you're gonna risk losing this war because Steppenwolf has him locked up like the wild animal he is!"

"I'd have thought you'd express some care for your sibling dear child." Darkseid muttered, his voice like thunder, "He may lack intellect and he maybe a feral beast on the battlefield. But he is still my son, just as you are my daughter. If you were in Steppenwolf's clutches, I'd consider it just as distressing. Before this war can continue, we must retrieve Kalibak from my uncle's custody."

"But father, he's not worth the effort!" Grail protested, "Let him rot in your uncle's care!"

"There will be NO argument." the world-conqueror snapped, his voice raised but not quite a shout, "We will rescue Kalibak, and that is the end of it. Woe betide you if I feel the need to punish you for insolence Grail."

The half-Apokaliptian wanted to continue, hoping she could convince Darkseid that Kalibak wasn't worth rescuing. But she knew it was pointless. She couldn't even convince him to steer away from this war with Steppenwolf so why bother? Sighing, she nodded begrudgingly.

"YES...father." she growled through gritted teeth.

Satisfied, Darkseid looked down at Marinette and Adrien as if suddenly remembering they were there. They looked back at him nervously. What was he going to do to them?

"I've always viewed humans as weak, savage and primitive." the New God explained, "And yet several individuals of your species, including your planet's heroes, have proven that humans can be surprisingly vexing and irritatingly bothersome. You two are such examples of this having resisted Desaad's torture and thrown yourselves into a battlefield just to retrieve your Kwami friends. I'd be impressed if I hadn't already been impressed by how much trouble the Justice League has caused me in the past. As strange as it is to say, you two may even be able to help end this war in my favour."

Marinette and Adrien stared at each other. Where was he going with this? What was Darkseid planning now? They looked back up at him as they waited for him to explain, their nerves tingling with anxiety.

"I promise you both, what I have in store for you two requires a great amount of stealth adaptational skills, something I've noticed your part in this battle so far." Darkseid went on as he stood a few inches away from them, looking down at them as if he was already their ruler and was certain they'd obey him.

"Make it quick, whatever you have to say." Marinette said bitterly, eyeing Darkseid with caution, fearing he turn her to ash if she took her eyes off him.

"Glad you are eager to hear it. To the west of the Armageddon Sector, there is a tunnel that serves as the sewage and waste system for my castle. Due to the way it was constructed, I'm afraid I'm...not suitable to make my way through there, neither my forces, we aren't the right size. But you two, small enough as slippery snakes, can do just the thing: use that to get into the castle, shut down it's defences, set the canines loose, and get my son out of the dungeon." he said more calmly, choosing his words carefully so as not to come across as too threatening in his instructions.

Marinette and Adrien stared at him in disbelief and wide eyes, while Grail's narrowed in interest, watching to see how they'd react. The two lovers glanced at each other in confusion, both of them wondering if they had heard it right, before they looked back to the Apokaliptian leader.

"You...want our help? You're that desperate, really?" Adrien asked in shock, almost needing it repeated to him.

Darkseid looked at his hand in thought and eased his features, flexing his fingers.

"Yes, I'm afraid I am. As you heard, Steppenwolf has my son locked in the dungeon, and if I attack from here, he will kill him. I...can't risk that. I need my son alive, and you two are just right to slip in through the narrow system to bring Steppenwolf down from the inside." he explained in a slightly lighter tone, trying to keep his voice low and even as he thought of Kalibak.

Adrien was almost at loss for words, disbelief running through him as he saw how serious Darkseid was being. He...he couldn't believe it, not all of it. He wanted his castle back, he believed that, but he just couldn't buy the amount of care he expressed for his son. But before he could voice his thoughts, Marinette voiced her own and it made Adrien feeling more unsure about their situation.

"And then what? Even if we do this, how can we trust you for what you'll do next? You'll stab us in the back once we've done the job!" Marinette said with venom in her voice, eyeing Darkseid with disgust and defiance, making it clear she wasn't going to trust him in the slightest.

"There is no need to be so presumptuous." Darkseid retorted, "I have no intentions of double-crossing you two if you do what I have asked. Doing so wouldn't gain me anything and I see no reason to do something if there's nothing to gain from it. To show my sincerity, I will even make you a deal. If you two can retrieve my son for me, I will deliver you back to Earth and you will have the pleasure of our worlds never crossing again. You will not have to worry about us and you will not see us again. I give my word."

"And don't worry you two, father isn't trying to deceive you." Grail insisted, "Even HE is capable of keeping promises."

Marinette and Adrien didn't believe the two for one minute, although they had to admit that the promise of sending them back to Earth was very inviting. They would happily see the back of Apokalips forever and never come back with how horrible it was and what am awful experience it had been visiting this world. There was a chance that Darkseid might be telling the truth and would keep his word. If so then it would be worth carrying out this mission if it meant they could go home. And yet...

"What about Tikki and Plagg?" Marinette demanded, "Will you give them back to us?"

"No. They are mine for further study." Darkseid declared bluntly, "The Anti-Life Equation was in my grasp and with these two, I may finally solve it. When you go home, you leave these two to be mine forever. But since you are doing something for me, I feel it fair to pay back your generosity by allowing them to have one last adventure with you two."

He nodded over to Grail, who reached into the pouch she was wearing and took out Tikki and Plagg, the two Kwamis still shuddering from their experience of being fused to Darkseid. She handed them over to the teens, who were quick to notice their Miraculouses weren't with them.

"We keep the items." she insisted, "Don't think for a minute we'd be stupid enough to give YOU two the potential to stab us in the back. At least you can have your little pets to keep you company as you rescue my half-brother."

"They're not our pets..." Marinette muttered bitterly.

"I can't believe you actually have the decency to allow this." Adrien said incredulously, "But still, me and Marinette need to talk this over before we go."

"Then converse among yourselves, but make it quick." Darkseid said impatiently, "My son cannot wait forever."

"Right, mind leaving us alone for a minute, please?" Adrien asked in a more stern voice, not liking how the Apokaliptians kept hanging around. Granny Goodness pointed an axe at him, the scowl on her face making her wrinkles look even more gruesome.

"Not another word from you. You'll know when you are alone, but don't think we won't be watching." she said lowly, before turning around and walking off with Darkseid and Grail, the latter of whom glanced back at the two human teenagers as the Parademons trained their guns on them, with a huge twenty feet space for them both.

Seeing the main combatants leave and taking in the fact the Parademons would shoot them down if they tried to escape, Marinette huddled closely with Adrien, who put a gentle arm around her to assure the bluenette she was okay. They smoothed their respective Kwami's gently with their fingers, giving them the warmth and care they needed.

"It's alright, you two. This will all be over soon." Marinette said soothingly as she smoothed Tikki's neck, making her squeak in shock but she quickly relaxed, the red and dotted Kwami knowing well she was back in the hands of her holder.

"M-Marinette? Oh thank goodness" she said gladly, nuzzling against her palm.

"Let's hope it will be over...for the first time in thousands of years, I feel sick." Plagg groaned as he hugged Adrien's thumb. Adrien smiled caringly down at his Kwami before looking over at Marinette with more cautious eyes.

"You don't believe them, do you?" he asked concernedly, quickly getting a shake of a head from his girlfriend.

"Nope. Not in the slightest. They'll either kill us or lobotomise us once we've infiltrated the castle." Marinette said bluntly, her eyes scanning the Parademons around them.

"Well, there has to be a way out of this. I mean, where's Diana? She might come and save us, right?" Adrien asked in a more hopeful tone, already imagining their rescue in his head. Marinette looked thoughtful for a moment.

"She did get separated from us when Grail made that chasm, and Darkseid doesn't have her. Steppenwolf might have her, which means..."

"She could be in the castle too! We...what if we could save her and leave after we've taken down the castle's defences?" Adrien finished for her, his bruised face lightening up with more hope.

"Even if we get Diana free, we have to get the Miraculouses off of Grail, and we can't just leave. Darkseid can easily come after us and attack Earth again, and..." Marinette fought off a gulp as she remembered her nightmare, how the Earth was on fire and how helpless she was.

"I won't let that happen. We have to try and go with Diana's plan, try to open a Boom Tube that'll trap them somewhere they can't get out of." she finished, her voice serious and full of determination, something Adrien took in with a smile.

"Just have to be careful then." he replied, only for Marinette to take hold of his hand and squeeze it gently, looking at him with her eyes more serious than ever.

"Even then...we could fail...and if anything were to happen to you...I'll take responsibility." she said with utter surety, leaving Adrien to rest his forehead against her own, his eyes lovingly gazing into hers.

"I'm not gonna die, M'Lady, and you won't either. I'm with you until the end, and we'll be back on Earth when this is finished." he said soothingly, making her blush and smile, closing her eyes to take it in as she felt more warmth come over her heart.

"Still believe in me, huh. Well, just in case..."

She took his lips into her own, with Adrien closing his eyes as he returned the gesture, kissing softly but full of warmth, making sure whatever good he had in him was what Marinette was getting, and she was too, hoping her lips were still fresh and sweet enough to fill him with all the love she could give. They didn't care if the Parademons were frowning at them in confusion, this was their moment before their likely final mission they were up for. Knowing what to do, they broke up the kiss, although they had been very reluctant to do so as it could very well be the last one they'll ever have, and called out to Darkseid.

"We're ready to go!" they yelled.

Darkseid and Grail approached the two teens, pleased their discussion was over. Darkseid glowered down at them with eyes that could've set fire to a building.

"I am glad you've made the right choice humans." he purred condescendingly, "It isn't often a human makes a wise decision. Grail, you will escort them to the tunnel. Watch them closely and don't feel afraid to cause them harm if they try anything."

"I will watch them like a predator watching its prey father." Grail declared with fake loyalty.

Marinette and Adrien didn't say anything or attempt to protest. They had expected this for they knew Darkseid wouldn't be so foolish as to let them go without being watched. They would play along until they reached the tunnel and then they could forget about Darkseid and Grail as they carried out their plan. The grey-skinned woman led the two away with Darkseid standing and watching them go. Steppenwolf had a trump card, and with any luck, these scrawny humans were going to take it from him. And then finally, Apokalips would return to him...

* * *

Wonder Woman had finally given up trying to break free of the shackles that bound her wrists together. She had spent several minutes struggling and trying to break her binds but to no avail. The power inhibitor around her neck had sapped all her strength, leaving her as weak and defenceless as an ordinary human. All the powers bestowed by the gods themselves had been taken away by a simple device clamped around her. Wonder Woman panted, her head hanging low in defeat as she dangled helplessly. She was in a dark, cold cell that made her shiver with her hands chained tightly above her head. The chains linking the shackles to the ceiling were too short for her to stand with her feet on the ground so she hung off the floor by her wrists like a pig in a butcher's shop.

Wonder Woman was used to being restrained, it was something that all superheroes were used to, but it didn't mean that being in this situation was any less humiliating for her. In a situation like this, she was completely at the mercy of whoever came to see her and would be powerless to resist. But she wasn't going to be defeated this easily. Once she'd recovered from her constant struggling tiring her out, she would find another way out. There had to be. Wonder Woman glanced over at her cellmate, disgusted to see him trying to chew his own fist off.

It was the hideous Kalibak, son of Darkseid and an Apokaliptian who was more about brains than brawn. Her huge and muscular, looking like some mutated gorilla with his muscle structure and was about twice the size of a normal human. His black hair was long and untidy, making him look more animalistic than usual. He was bound to the wall by shackles around his wrists and feet and didn't seem quite there. His eyes were distant and far away and he was drooling constantly, viscous fluids streaming down the corners of his mouth. He was chewing on his fist as if trying to eat himself. As much as he disgusted her, Wonder Woman almost found herself feeling sorry for Kalibak.

"Not even he deserves to be isolated to the point of insanity..." she muttered under her breath, "I hope I can get out of here before I end up like him."

"YARGGHH! By my father's blood I will be free! My great uncle will lose his grip on the throne and I will do father proud! I AM THE PRINCE IF APOKALIPS, YOU CAN'T HOLD ME HERE!" Kalibak roared loudly, blood and saliva splattering from his mouth as his eyes went wide, not even realising Diana was there.

Wonder Woman cringed, her ears having gotten a sharp ringing from the Apokaliptian prince's screaming.

"Can gladly say Orion is bearable. Don't know how Scott kept his sanity though." she grumbled to herself as she watched Kalibak chew at his furry arms and tearing lumps of fur off like a cannibal.

A loud creak was heard from above and a beam of light filled the dungeon, telling Diana someone was coming to see them and she could only imagine who it was, as she knew she was in the castle. Stomps of big boots filled their ears and Kalibak stopped his brutal attempts of escape, his gargly breath inhaling and exhaling as the large figure of Steppenwolf reached the bottom of the stairs, his eyes lightening up quite literally as his eyes locked into Diana, who glared at him in disgust. Due to the fact she was hanging off the floor by her wrists, the Amazon was now eye-to-eye with Steppenwolf, which was strange to her as she was often looking up at him due to how tall he was.

"Ah, Diana. A pleasure to see such a beautiful face in a world of blood, death, misery and destruction." he said rather soothingly, a smile twisting up his vile features.

Yet even before Diana could reply, Kalibak let out another wild cry as he tried to tear free from his chains, even trying to claw away at the power inhibitor on his neck, his teeth bare as he looked at Steppenwolf, who lost his attempts of charm as he walked up towards the chained prince.

"YOU TRAITOR! YOU TOOK MY FATHER'S THRONE FOR YOURSELF! YOU WILL BE SLAUGHTERED LIKE THE DOGS OF THE WILD! LET IT BE KNOWN THAT DARKSEID IS THE RULER OF APOKALIPS, AS DARKSEID IS-"

Steppenwolf simply slammed the rear end of his axe handle in Kalibak's face, a horrible crunch echoing throughout the damp and cold air of the dungeon. Diana almost pitied the prince as he hung there emotionless and unconscious from the attack the general gave him. Steppenwolf snorted as he looked at Diana again, his smile back on his face, leaving her skin shivering in disgust.

"I do apologise, he was always the worst of my nephew's children, loves his father too much he's lost count of how many times he's been used as a projectile on the battlefield. Even a young child could render him unconscious. Still, he's proving useful for now, as will you, Diana." he purred as he brushed his hand against her hair and then over her face, admiring her as he looked down at his captive.

Wonder Woman wasn't going to let him intimidate her, so she resisted the urge of cringing or flinching. Having been in this situation so many times, she knew it was best to keep her nerves under surface than show her kidnappers had the advantage over her.

"You better not be under the impression that seducing me will get you anywhere." the captive Amazon warned, "No amount of charm and flattery you attempt will hide the monster you really are. You might as well release me and save yourself wasting time you could be putting towards the battle with your uncle."

"How appropriate you should mention that my dear." Steppenwolf crooned smoothly, "I was going to bring that up. There is a way that you could factor into all of this, fair princess."

"How do you mean?" Wonder Woman asked, not sure she was liking where this was going.

Steppenwolf moved his hand around from Wonder Woman's face and ran it down her back in a vain attempt to comfort her. All he did was making Wonder Woman's skin crawl in disgust and she had to physically restrain herself from showing in her face. If only she wasn't strung up like this, then she could punch him in the face and get his hands off of her!

"The Amazon race is among the strongest there is." the horned general explained, "The sheer level of strength, courage, endurance and battle prowess you all display is nothing short of extraordinary. I would almost believe you were a lost race of Apokaliptians with the power you have. And you, Diana, have displayed that power every time you've crossed paths with Apokalips."

"If you're trying to flatter me, I'm not buying it." the Amazon retorted, "Just get to the point and stop wasting my time."

Steppenwolf's wrinkled face curled into a smirk of amusement, as if Diana had said something funny to him.

"Completely helpless and yet you're still able to talk back to me. Another thing I admire about you..." he purred, "That level of feistiness is what I love in a woman. But as you wish, here is what I was implying: with you on my side Diana, with all your strengths and abilities unlocked to their full potential, you could help me win the war with Darkseid. YOU could bring peace and prosperity to Apokalips and prevent my impudent nephew from throwing away my efforts into restoring this world after the damage he's caused with his fruitless quest to find that blasted equation! You could even help me not only win this war...but KILL Darkseid as well."

He placed a finger under her chin and gazed into the warrior woman's beautiful blue eyes, almost as if trying to read them or reach into her mind through them.

"Tell me Diana, you're a compassionate woman. Would you not agree that is a goal worth achieving?" Steppenwolf said smoothly, "Don't you think that helping me bring the end of my nephew is a magnanimous cause worthy to fight for?"

"I would happily bring peace to the world, by helping NEITHER of you win!" Wonder Woman snapped, "You two are both responsible for this world being a hellish dystopia in which the people are oppressed and mistreated! I'd rather let you both kill each other than help you. Besides, even if I DID kill Darkseid, you'd still lose anyway. Darkseid cannot be killed. You know he can't. Every time he is killed, he is just reborn in another body. Probably in the body of the one who killed him too." she added, a tone of fear to her voice as he imagined what Darkseid would come back as if he was killed again.

That made Steppenwolf think twice about his goals. It was true that Darkseid was never one to die and STAY dead. He had even come back as a baby and grown back to his adult form under the care of Grail, which is what had led to him now fighting for Apokalips with his blasted nephew! He also didn't much like the idea of Darkseid being reborn through Wonder Woman if she ended up killing him. One Apokaliptian-Amazon hybrid was enough, he didn't need another to deal with! And yet, maybe he could have one of his own. Steppenwolf smiled a ghoulish smile as he ran a hand down Wonder Woman's side.

"You do raise a solid point princess." he admitted, "But you also need to remember that someone's essence can be contained. And if we could contain that essence into something useful, we could bring Apokalips into a prosperous future. You my child have what is needed for Apokalips to remain pure and free from Darkseid's influence. Darkseid was able to conceive a child with one of your kind. Now imagine if we...could do the same."

As he said this, he ran his hands over Wonder Woman's strong, perfectly toned stomach as if imagining his future baby in her womb right now. How glorious it would be to have a child through the strongest of the Amazons and raise it to be a weapon stronger than even Grail herself! It would be the end of days for Darkseid and he would remain in charge, free to keep the world away from Darkseid's rule forever! Ah yes, he could see it now and he could hardly wait for this baby to be born.

Wonder Woman's face twisted up in disgust and her mouth fell open at the very thought of having sex with this demonic alien general. She wouldn't allow it! She'd resist until her last breath if she were to ever be put in a horrible position! She couldn't let him do it, and she couldn't let him get under her skin like this. So Diana recompose herself, closing her mouth and eyeing him intensely.

"Even if you tried, I don't imagine you'd succeed, considering I've heard the rumours of the minimal length you can go to down below." Diana hissed at him, making his eyes widen and she could've sworn his cheeks heated up in embarrassment. He put a finger of thought to his bony chin and let out a nervous giggle, trying to get himself back together, much to Diana's satisfaction. To think he was a general of sorts, but Diana knew all kinds of species had their pride solely focussed on a particular body part of there's, and this would surely be the closest she'd get to crushing his groin without even hitting it.

"Well, I...I must say, dear Diana, your tongue carries quite the wit with you. Still, it doesn't matter about the size, there's always...other ways to conceive the perfect warrior princess of Apokalips, perhaps one less manipulative and backstabbing as Grail, but twice as powerful." Steppenwolf managed to get out, regaining his sense of confidence as he finished his sentence, gazing down at Diana as her eyes slightly widened, seeing he recovered quite quickly from his dented ego.

His chin grazed against her's as his fingers took hold of her chin, making her glare at him with a deeply hateful look in her eyes. Showing his razor like teeth, Steppenwolf spoke again, in a more lower voice.

"In time, you will learn to love me. Warrior to warrior, that I can assure you." he said soothingly, his eyes full of sickening amazement as he looked into hers.

Pulling away from her, Steppenwolf glanced to the open door up the stairs.

"In time you will see the truth of this world, as will whatever child we bring into it." he said pleasantly, making his way back up the stairs, "Hopefully this stalemate will last a little longer. I'm sure my nephew will see sense that fighting me is useless. Do entertain Kalibak when he wakes up." he offered as he walked through the door, closing it behind him with less force put into it.

Diana gasped in relief that he was gone, her heart pounding in utter disgust and contempt. If anything, she was almost glad for the visit, as all it did was reignite her determination to break free of the chains holding her. There was no way on Earth or Apokalips or any other world she would let that horn headed monster conceive a child with her.

As she pulled away at the chains with gritted teeth, Wonder Woman's mind thought back to Marinette and Adrien. She was hoping against everything the two of them were not dead and were safe, hopefully finding a way to get to her or getting home.

* * *

The very teens that were on Diana's mind were closer than she could've expected. Marinette and Adrien were being led towards the entrance to the sewage tunnels that would led into Steppenwolf's castle with Grail watching their every step, looking as if she was about ready to zap them with her Omega Beams if they so much as sneezed at her. Marinette could barely keep herself from shuddering every time she glanced over to remind herself that Grail was there. She felt like a rabbit being watched by a hawk. As long as she played along and didn't make any wrong moves, then she wouldn't give this hawk an excuse to bare its talons on her. The two passed through the downtown of the Armageddon Sector as Grail ushered them on, directing them every step of the way.

"We're close." the grey woman announced, "In a matter of moments, we should be by the entrance. Then you can get my..."dear" half-brother out of Steppenwolf's care."

"I really can't help but noticed you don't seem happy about it." Adrien muttered facetiously, "I mean you seemed pretty adamant about rescuing him."

"If you knew ANYTHING about Kalibak, you'd declare him a waste of time and resources too." Grail muttered, "The big ape is nothing but a waste of flesh and muscle. No brain to go with his brawn whatsoever and he acts more like father's lapdog than his son. It makes my skin crawl to acknowledge I'm related to him!"

Adrien was surprised to find himself now in a situation where he could, in a way, relate to Grail. It never failed to make his skin crawl just acknowledging the fact he was related to the man behind the mask of Hawk Moth. Who knew it was possible for a human and an Apokaliptian to have something in common? Not that Grail would care though.

"So when we get to these tunnels, how do we get into the castle?" Marinette asked, "I bet there's going to be plenty of them. How will we know the right way in?"

"If you paid attention to my father, the tunnel is the castle's sewage and waste system. Just go in one direction and I'm sure you'll find yourselves in a kitchen or toilet room. And if it's any comfort, the...organic waste doesn't smell like the ones of your Earth." Grail replied as they came on a mound after turning a corner into, what could be best described as, a downtown alley. On top of the mound was a grate, with light green smoke rising from it.

As they took it in, Marinette and Adrien could see what Darkseid was talking about, it looked just about big enough for someone their size to get into. Not even Grail would be able to fit through the hole, given she was quite tall and had a huge build to her. Marinette looked to the grey skinned princess with sharp eyes.

"So this is it, hmm? Where we gladly part ways?" she asked as she kept Tikki close to her armoured chest, getting a quick nod from Grail.

"Yes. You two needn't worry about backstabbing my father in case of him backstabbing you. I can say it won't come to that," Grail replied as she then crouched down, beginning to pull the grate off, making its lock bend and screech slightly.

"What made you think we'd betray your father? We're not in a good position to do that, in case you didn't notice." Adrien pointed, only to get a chuckle out of the Apokaliptian hybrid as the lid began to bend sideways.

"Oh you two should know I'm quite observant. I saw you two talking, huddled together, it's obvious you were planning something. If Diana is in there, you'd have saved her, come up with a plan to beat my father, take your Miraculouses back and go home. As I said, there's no need, just do as my father says and I'll see to it no harm will come to you." she finished with a groan as she pulled the whole lid off and tossed it to the side, a loud clang of the material echoing as it hit the ground.

Marinette looked thoughtful for a moment as she stared at Grail. Something had been on the girl's mind as far back as her torture in the Dark Ways and how the recent battle came to a stalemate with Omega Beams.

"Well, you say you're observant, but so am I: what is it that's got you riled up against your dad? Mind telling us a little about it?" Marinette asked with caution, choosing her words carefully to avoid getting hit by her.

The question seemed to have an electric effect on Grail. She straightened up and stared as if she'd just been electrocuted. The question had cut through her for she hadn't expected Marinette to bring it up. Worried she'd pressed the wrong buttons on the warrior woman, Marinette hid her face behind her hands in fright. She could already feel the Omega Beams blasting into her right now. But to her amazement, nothing happened. She opened her eyes again and saw that Grail was just looking at her with polite interest, seeming more fascinated than anything. Her eyes softened and she gave her answer.

"Well observed child." she complimented, "I see why you're among Earth's heroes. Your eyes never miss a trick. So, you've noticed I don't seem to approve of everything father is doing. And that is because I don't. I spent all this time raising him from infant to juvenile in an attempt to restore him to adulthood as a new ruler. Father doesn't realize that his rule is what'll lead to our end and that there are better ways to achieve peace than being a tyrannical ruler. But my efforts were all futile and I've accomplished nothing..."

She clenched her fists in rage, looking like she was about to punch something.

"I do see through his eyes that Earth is worthy of conquering." she continued, "Oh yes...a planet with such beauty and such propensity for great achievements is worthy indeed. But that isn't my main goal. I wish to put most of my focus and attention towards Apokalips and making it a world for good!"

"Then you're doing a fabulous job at it because what you're doing is the exact OPPOSITE of good!" Marinette retorted, "In what definition of "good" equals violence and murder?! You've killed several people in your goals Grail and you dare paint yourself as a saviour?!"

"Don't talk back to me you insolent human!" Grail snapped, "Are a few worthless lives REALLY not worth sacrificing for the greater good? You're a superhero! You'd know a thing or two about sacrifices wouldn't you?"

Adrien shook his head, as did Marinette.

"You really don't get the meaning of a hero, do you?" he asked coldly, glaring at her as if she was a piece of shit he trod on.

"You know what us heroes do sacrifice, Grail? A bit of time. Time with our families, time of normalities, and sometimes...we sacrifice our innocence and we'd sacrifice our lives too. We lose our innocence when we see something only soldiers would see, but if it means protecting the innocent and making sure ordinary people live a day longer and enjoy life, knowing people like me and Adrien watch out for them, we'll sacrifice all those things to bring about good. That is what being a hero is all about, it's called being nice, setting a good example. And I think you know it too." Marinette explained, her voice confident and full of surety, as if she was now a mentor to Grail herself.

Grail seemed to be taken aback by what Marinette had said to her. It was evident that she really didn't know what it meant to be a force for good. And yet she still didn't find herself fully agreeing with it. Maybe it was her Apokaliptian upbringing that made her idea of being a hero different to her. She just glowered down at the two teens dismissively.

"The time you've spent giving me that pretty speech is time you should've been spending getting a move on." Grail sighed, "Unless of course you WANT father to convince you two to hurry up."

Marinette scowled angrily, offended that this bitch had just dismissed everything she'd said. She had to wonder why other superheroes even bothered talking sense into their enemies, it never seemed to work.

"Fine." she said venomously, "We'll go. But how do you expect to kill Darkseid if you really want him out of the way so you can carry out your screwed-up sense of justice?"

Grail smirked as she tapped Marinette's nose, making the short teenager cringe at the gesture.

"You will see, little one. All things can be contained even if they don't stay dead. Now be on your way and make most of the time you have left with your precious Kwamis." she said snidely, eyeing Tikki as she was held close by Marinette, who's hand Adrien took hold of as they both glared at Grail.

"It won't be the last time. Just like you said, you'll see." Marinette replied as Adrien made his descent into the tunnel by the side steps, holding Plagg closely to him while gently bringing Marinette down with his other hand, not seeing his girlfriend staring back at Grail as the tall Apokaliptian watched them disappear into the dark. Once the light of their eyes had fully faded into the darkness, Grail knew now it was time to regroup with her father, giving her more time to plan out whatever she needed to bring him down.

It wasn't a pretty sight that greeted Marinette and Adrien. It was quite narrow, just about ten feet wide with a small dip that ran down with rotten, brown water carrying all sorts of waste, and they weren't too shocked to find there were bones littering the water. Given this was for organic waste, they could only imagine how they ended up there. Plagg wrinkled his nose up in disgust.

"Sure isn't Camembert. Hope I get to eat that again soon, and I'll need a nap..." he groaned, getting a smooth from Adrien, who smiled at his constant love for the food "You and your Camembert. When we get home, I'll buy a huge chunk of it for you to stuff your face with." he said gently, getting a small squeeze from Marinette's hand.

"And we will get home. No way we're gonna let these guys keep on warring at each other and use Tikki and Plagg for their own needs." she said confidently.

"I'm glad you still have your optimism and courage Marinette." Tikki replied sweetly, "I was really worried that your experiences here would've damaged you in some way. I know it's had some effect on me..." she shuddered as thoughts of being merged with Darkseid came back to her.

"To be honest Tikki, I have no idea how I'm still going on at this point." Marinette admitted, "It's like there's someone in my head just driving me on no matter what. As is, I really never wanna set foot on this planet again!" she cried.

"The sooner we leave the better." Adrien agreed, "And hopefully if we can find Diana and get her out of here and refuel Tikki and Plagg, we can end this once and for all."

"And finally be back home." Marinette said hopefully.

The two continued through the tunnel, following the directions given to them by Grail. Now they were in, they could carry out the next stage of their plan. They could only pray against all odds that there was nothing in these tunnels out to get them...or worse, Steppenwolf himself to confront...

* * *

 ** _Marinette and Adrien are on their way to save Kalibak, but they'll be instead going for Wonder Woman. Can they find her? Will Wonder Woman get free? And will our heroes ever escape Apokalips? All these things and more next time..._**


	15. Chapter 14: Breakout

_Chapter 14: Breakout_

For some people, patience could be seen as something of a challenge. How long can you wait before you get fed up and decide to stop waiting? Is it possible to wait forever? Darkseid himself never felt as such, feeling as if he could wait until the end of time before something happened. Being an immortal New God meant that patience was something he had a lot of, even if he had his moments. He had been standing waiting for Grail to return to him with the news that Marinette and Adrien were on their way inside the castle of his treacherous uncle. Something deep down still made him concerned over whether they would actually do as he said or try to betray him and turn the tides against him but he knew that nothing they could do would inconvenience him in anyway. He still had their Miraculouses, they couldn't use their powers against him. Even if they refuelled their Kwamis, it would do them no good, it would just mean he was able to use them again to use their powers and maybe find the Anti-Life Equation. In the end, they could betray him and it would be a win-win situation for him.

He looked over at the foreboding castle his uncle occupied, almost expecting the horned general to come out and attack him at any moment. Darkseid was the sort of man who was always on his toes, never once letting his guard down. Years of ruling Apokalips had taught him as much that it was wise to remain vigilant no matter what. Steppenwolf could attack him now and he'd be ready for him no matter what he did. He was even hoping that Steppenwolf would come out and continue the fight. It would at least distract him away from Kalibak and give him SOMETHING to do instead of waiting around doing nothing.

Thankfully, Darkseid wasn't stood around waiting any longer. He saw the familiar figure of his daughter flying towards him, immediately noticing the absence of Marinette and Adrien with her. He smiled deviously, pleased to see that they were on their way inside. Grail touched down and bowed to her father.

"The kids are traversing into the tunnels now." she ordered, "The plan is in motion and your son's rescue is under way."

"Excellent. I knew those cretins wouldn't be able to refuse our request." Darkseid sneered, "My uncle is in for a surprise when his prize prisoner is freed by mere humans. If they succeed, I'll have more of a reason to be impressed by them then I already have."

"Provided they don't try anything now they're inside the castle." Grail noted.

"Double-crossing me will do them no good and I believe even they know it." Darkseid dismissed, "They'll do as we've said. They want nothing more than to leave our home."

"Something tells me you're not going to honour that side of the deal father." Grail replied darkly.

Darkseid just smirked as if Grail had said something funny to him. If confidence and smug had a face, it would look like Darkseid's smirk.

"You know me too well daughter." he confirmed, "Why would I waste my resources transporting those insects back to Earth? Once Kalibak is freed and in my possession again, they'll just be another pair of bodies on the battlefield in this war. Their Kwamis and Miraculous will remain mine to do with as I desire."

"As it will be, father. And soon you'll achieve your dream of solving the Anti-Life Equation, no doubt" Grail pointed out as she stood by his side.

"Yes I shall, and once I have, New Genesis will be a mere rock I can hold in my hands and they'll become loyal subjects, just like the people of Apokalips." Darkseid mused gladly as he looked to his castle, waiting for the signal Marinette and Adrien would give him that can allow his forces to go forward.

He didn't notice Grail staring at him with narrow eyes, as if she was resisting the urge to shoot him in the back. She couldn't help but want to get it done with, but she knew if she were to attack now, he'd vaporise her with his Omega Beams, and she wasn't up for spending time with death now.

"As soon as we get in there, I have to get into the Omega Vault. I'll get what I need to contain him." she thought to herself as she stood still, her eyes taking in the castle that would be hers soon...

* * *

In the narrow tunnel they had been travelling in for the past twenty minutes, Adrien groaned as another acid like smell entered his nose.

"Ugh. I'd rather be in the Paris Catacombs than this, it's just vile!" he moaned as he pulled Marinette over a gap on the ledge they were walking on, getting a smile of appreciation off of his girlfriend before she frowned as she took in the smell again.

"Uaghk! If anything, it means we must be getting close..." she trailed off as she looked down at Tikki in her other hand, seeing her gentle Kwami had an empty look in her eyes. Adrien took notice of this and looked at Plagg, who had an annoyed frown on his little face.

"Oh Tikki, don't look so glum. I swear to you, neither you or Plagg are going back to Darkseid. We're not leaving you here, even if given the chance." Marinette assured, only to get a little sigh from Tikki.

"I just hope you're right, Marinette. I honestly thought fusing with Joker was the worst, but the things I saw and felt with Darkseid...it made me feel like a failure." the Kwami said miserably, getting a gasp out of Marinette and a frown off of Adrien.

"Don't say that! You're not a failure!" Marinette yelled dismissively, getting a nod from Adrien.

"Neither of you are. It's not your fault we're here, we just gotten overwhelmed." he assured, only for Tikki to shake her head.

"But we restored Darkseid to power, Adrien. I could only wish I was dormant in the fusion, wouldn't have given him any power at all." she muttered, her voice with very little hope.

"It wouldn't be the first time I let something like this happen. What's worse is that I don't see much of a good end to it." Plagg said with a sigh as he laid against Adrien's finger, getting curious stare from him.

"What do you mean "it wouldn't be the first time"? What happened before?" he asked, concern in his voice for whatever his Kwami wasn't telling him.

Plagg glanced knowingly at Tikki with pain in his eyes, as if he was remembering something so far back yet still so clear on his head. Tikki gave him a sad look and a nod, telling him to go on.

"Well, if we do have any time later, like at all, you'll know everything. Let's just say even those that seemed noble always used me for their own needs." he said distantly as he looked away.

Deciding not to pry any further, and nearly slipping for a second, Adrien gave him a little sigh.

"Well...Darkseid won't be putting you through that again, neither of you. We've got a chance" he said confidently, getting a nod from Marinette.

"Yeah. Look, we're sneaking into his castle, and what does a castle have in common with homes? A kitchen." she noted, getting wide eyed looks of shock from the two Kwamis.

"If we can find the kitchen, we can get you two some food. Won't be like cookies or cheese, but it'd be enough to give you two a charge." she went on with a smile, which was lighting up the darkness around them to Adrien, who returned it.

"Yeah! And when we've turned off the castle's defences, all we have to do is wait with Diana, get the Miraculouses off of Grail, and we can transform, give all these creeps the beating they deserve!" he said eagerly, getting curious looks off of them.

"Kid, you seem really up for this. You really wanna transform and take on Darkseid?" Plagg asked with interest.

"Of course we will! It doesn't matter if he's a god, we aren't letting him win in this!" Marinette replied.

And for the first time since being released from Darkseid, letting these words settle in with the confident attitudes of their holders, Tikki and Plagg felt more warmth come over their hearts. How fortuitous was it that they had been put in the care of such confident, brave people like these two.

"If you feel confident enough that we can win this, then we're with you both until the end!" Plagg cried, "I'd give anything to get back to Earth so I can enjoy a nice slice of Camembert again!"

"As risky as it'll be, I'm willing to give it a shot." Tikki agreed, "Anything's better than staying as Darkseid's slave forever."

"That's more like it!" Marinette cried, "That level of enthusiasm is just what we need if we're gonna pull through this."

"Hey Marinette, I think we might've arrived." Adrien cut in.

Marinette looked in her boyfriend's direction and saw that he wasn't wrong to be suggesting this. They had come across a grate in the ceiling while they had been talking and they could see light seeping in through the gaps. It couldn't be anything else, they must be underneath the castle at last. But which room would they end up in? Only one way to find out.

"Let's go. With any luck, we won't walk into a room crawling with Parademons." Marinette muttered, "Would've been nice if Darkseid let me keep that gun in case we came across any."

"He probably wouldn't have wanted to give us the opportunity to use it on him instead." Adrien noted, "Still, he could've at least given us SOME way to defend ourselves!"

The blue-haired teen could only nod in agreement as both she and Adrien reached up and pushed at the grate. They both strained as they pushed up, trying to shift it. The grate hadn't been moved in years, maybe even centuries, so it didn't move freely. The two refused to give-up and continued pushing hard against the grate, their ears wincing as a loud metallic screech filled the tunnels whenever the grate shifted. Dust crumbled from where the grate was stationed so the teens kept their eyes closed to prevent any from falling into them. They pushed harder and harder, but the grate only moved about a couple of inches and then stopped. Pounding furiously, they banged against the grate but it wouldn't budge any further. Tikki hastily shushed them, getting into their faces to make her point clearer.

"Don't do that!" she hissed frantically, "Steppenwolf might hear!"

"Sorry, but we can't get this thing to move!" Marinette whispered back, "It moved a bit and now it seems stuck!"

"Do you think this thing's so old that it just won't move?" Adrien muttered hopelessly.

"It could be locked." Tikki suggested, "I'll have a look."

She flew up to the grate and effortlessly passed through the gaps in it, her small size making her adequate for fitting through. Now she could see what they were under. The Kwami quickly looked around and saw that she was in quite possibly the most fitting room her friends could be under...the toilets. Very appropriate considering they were in a sewer right now. Tikki was almost surprised to see this place even HAD toilets but she supposed that even Apokaliptians needed to relieve themselves every now and then. This room wasn't like any toilet cubicle on Earth, the toilets themselves looking more like rocky holes in the wall than anything a human would use.

Tikki turned her attention back to the grate and saw that, indeed, it WAS locked. A giant padlock that looked just as alien as anything else on Apokalips was what was keeping Marinette and Adrien from getting in. She imagined that the grate was opened for whenever the castle needed any sewage maintenance and the workers could climb down into the tunnels through here. It made sense to lock it whenever nobody needed to go into the tunnels since it prevented break-ins from happening. But no lock in the world could stop a Kwami and she knew it. How lucky Darkseid had let the two bring her and Plagg! Quick as a flash, Tikki slipped into the lock and undid it in a matter of moments. Now it was opened, she pushed it away and slipped back down through the grate to Marinette and Adrien.

"It WAS locked." she explained, "But I've opened it. You can get in now."

"Is there anybody around?" Plagg asked nervously.

"No, coast is clear. We can get in without being spotted." Tikki confirmed.

Standing to one side, Adrien crouched down and took Marinette's foot into both hands, giving her a boost up through the hole. Her small hands latched hold of the clefts in the floor and pulled herself out, quickly turning around and pulling Adrien out as he reached his hands up. Both of them gasped in relief as they rested on their backs for a moment, giving Tikki and Plagg a smile of gratitude.

"Good work, Tikki. Got us out of a tight space." Marinette thanked as Tikki flew to her face, giving her a pleased nod.

"It was treat to do something properly useful. I really am grateful for Darkseid sending us with you, and that is saying something." she noted with a slight giggle, getting one out of them both over the irony.

"Well, we're in the wolf's den now guys. Quite literally actually." Plagg pointed out as he took in the surroundings, gesturing at the door.

"Don't know if that was a joke or not, but Plagg's right. Gotta be careful with every step we take now." Adrien reminded as he helped Marinette up, brushing bits of dirt off her arms.

"Yeah. Now that we're in, gonna have to watch our backs at every turn." she added as they neared the door, with Plagg zooming ahead of them.

"I'll guide you from the front. Tikki, keep a lookout for us behind" the black Kwami suggested, getting a nod from her as she hidden inside the loose hair of Marinette, poking her head out through the back, getting a giggle out of the bluenette as they left the toilets.

Coming out onto a walkway, they looked up to find themselves in a circular stairway that spiralled up, patches of windows on the right side while up the left held several doors. Adrien sighed as he looked up, seeing it was an almost endless stretch to the latched door in the ceiling, the structure a mixture of medieval and cybernetic, the doors having a plate button of sorts next to them while a small hole sat in each of them.

"Yup, only way is up. Keep an ear out for any sounds." he advised as he took Marinette's hand and began to steadily walk up with their backs to the wall, with Plagg leading ahead.

"I'll check out each door and see what's inside them. Don't worry, I'll be like a fly; too fast and too small to notice" he said confidently, flying up the empty space that filled the middle of the spiral way.

Soundless as he flew up to the first door, he gave it a little peak through the hole and frowned, following up on that with a tut.

"Nope, just old armour on there." he noted before he flew higher up to the next door and gave it another peak.

"Okay, just an old statue of some guy in there. Looks like that Steppenwolf but has a beard..." he trailed off as his little ears twitched to the sound of something crackling above "Now that sounds familiar...smells too".

Gesturing at the two humans to stop, Plagg flew up to the next door, poking his little head inside. He froze he took in what he was seeing. There were wrinkly, almost deformed humanoids working away at some cookery equipment of sorts, clearly boiling something in the pans, while some were viciously chopping up chunks of meat on a poor, rotting excuse of a breadboard. Plagg took the smell in and wasn't sure if he was more hungry or felt sick from it.

"Well guys, looks like I found where the food is prepared..." Plagg muttered, sounding more grim than excited to have found some food at last.

"Is there anybody in there?" Marinette asked.

"Just the cooks, nobody to worry about." the feline Kwami confirmed.

"As easy as it'd be to knock them out, we could attract attention if we do." Adrien noted, "Maybe we can try and get some food while they're not looking."

"You two wait for us while we go in and get something to eat." Tikki volunteered, "We're small so they likely won't see us."

Plagg stared at the spotty Kwami as if she'd suggested they go jump in a lava pit. He was ravenous and really keen to eat something, but something about that kitchen made him want to stay away from it. And yet Tikki was suggesting they go in?! He wasn't at all eager to do so but he supposed that they had no choice. No food meant no power and this was their only chance to refuel. Swallowing nervously, Plagg nodded to Tikki.

"OK...let's go in." he whimpered.

Leading the way, Tikki sneaked into the kitchen through the door with Plagg behind him. Marinette and Adrien stayed put, waiting with baited breath. The grotesque smell of the kitchen hit Tikki like a fist to the face. If it was possible to be physically attacked be a scent, she imagined this is what it would feel like. How the chefs could stand it was anyone's guess! She clutched her nose in disgust, Plagg doing the same as they kept down low to avoid being seen by the humanoid creatures that were preparing whatever meal this would be. They hid under one of the tables and peeked up. The chefs' attention was fixed squarely on what they were cooking. At this point, they could steal an entire joint of meat and they wouldn't notice. The two Kwamis flew silently out from under the table and to a slab of meat lying on a board nearby. Nobody was using it so they both grabbed it and carried it away. Unfortunately for them, one of the chefs saw the meat moving and stared in confusion.

"Hey...I didn't know food could do that!" he croaked in a voice that sounded like the result of a thousand cigarettes.

Yelping in surprise, Tikki and Plagg flew faster with one of the chefs chasing after them, brandishing a carving knife.

"Hey, get back here! You're meant to be going in the pan for Lord Steppenwolf's dinner!" the chef cried, swiping at the air frantically with the knife as if thinking cutting the meat to pieces would stop it flying.

"Look, there's two funny creatures carrying it!" another chef noted, pointing at the two Kwamis, "Let's get them! Maybe we can cook them too!"

Now the Kwamis knew they had to get out of here fast before the cooks could nab them. They were not about to become someone's dinner if they could help it! They flew around frantically, still carrying the meat slab while the cooks all chased after them, swiping at them with whatever they could get their hands on. They flew close together so the chefs ended up colliding into each other, knocking themselves onto the floor and dropping a bunch of knives and pans onto the floor. Now they were in the clear, Tikki and Plagg sneaked out the door and dropped the chunk of meat into Marinette's hands.

"They spotted us!" Tikki shrieked, "We've gotta hide before they come after us again!"

"Oh great!" Marinette groaned sarcastically, though her eyes widened as the door began to moan and creek as the chefs tried to open it. She looked around and quickly spotted a small cleft further up the stairs. It looked just about right for her and Adrien, so she took his hand and pulled him hurriedly up the stairs, adrenaline running through the French Teen as if she was running on hot lava.

Soon they reached the gap, taking notice of how narrow it was but ran deep in the wall. Seeing they had no choice now, Marinette and Adrien quickly removed their chest armour and helmets, throwing them down to the bottom of the stairs. It was better they did this so they could fit through and not suffer any deep cuts from how lumpy their armour was. Quickly getting into the gap, Marinette pressed herself against Adrien, who had his back to the wall. Burying her face into his chest to quiet her breathing, both Marinette and Adrien watched as the door to the kitchen opened, allowing the disgusting looking humanoids to run out onto the stairway.

"Wh-where are they!? They couldn't have gotten that far!" cried the shorter one as he looked around with his one eye darting back and forth in its socket.

"They must've escaped through the window! Our lord will put our heads on the breadboards for this!" cried the more fatter of the two, holding his hands to his mouth as he bit at them nervously.

"No! It was one piece of meat! Yes, a big piece, but we don't tell him anything!" said the tiniest of the chefs, pulling at the other two's legs to calm themselves down.

"Don't tell me what!?"

Marinette fought off a gasp, holding tightly onto Adrien as he shielded her with his arms. Her cheeks were burning from the position she and him were in, but she couldn't let herself squeal or moan in delight, especially with the heavy footsteps stomping down from above. Silence filled the air except for the whimpering of the chefs as they backed against the door, their eyes wide and nervous smiles stretching over their faces as the tall figure of Steppenwolf reached them, a lone Parademon behind with a gun.

Taking in the size of him, Marinette and Adrien almost froze. They remembered seeing him fighting the Justice League on the news a few times but they didn't think he was so huge. And his horned helmet certainly carried a dreading feel to them, and this only made the two hold on to each other more.

Steppenwolf crouched down to the tiniest of the chefs, his brows raised in a gentle look.

"My goodness, you look as if you're about to faint. Do tell me, master of the cooks, what is it you are scared of me finding out?" He requested in a soft tone, almost sounding as if he was trying to comfort him.

The chef squeaked and giggled, fiddling his fingers together "We, um, well, you see, honestly, we thought the food came alive, but it turned out these two little insects were stealing from us. They took quite a big piece and flew off with it...I know you don't see any insects, my lord, but honestly, it's the truth! Neither of us picked the food, I swear!" the tiny humanoid squeaked hideously, throwing himself to Steppenwolf's feet.

Steppenwolf lost his gentle look and his face was now blank, his eyes empty as they looked down at the creature crying at his feet. He then looked to the fattest of the chefs, seeing his hands were still to his mouth, biting at them.

"As a man in charge of many fools myself, I did sometimes try to find an excuse to explain why my soldiers were often idiotic and did incredibly foolish things. But this? It's all right here in front of me! You greedy little rat!" he snarled as he snatched the fat chef by his throat, making him let out a strangled cry of shock.

Their eyes wide but keeping themselves silent, Marinette and Adrien watched as Steppenwolf outstretched his arm, leaving the chef dangling helplessly by his clamped hand. He looked to the Parademon behind him and gave him a nod. Almost straight away, it opened fire on the chef, causing Marinette to look away as each blast tore through the fat chef's gut, splatter of blood and organs filling the air. The Parademon's single blast tore the chef right in half, causing his lower abdomen and legs to drop all the way to the bottom.

Steppenwolf stared at the endless flow of blood leaking out of the chef as if he made a puncture in a hose. He looked into the eyes of the chef to see they were empty, and his hands were now hanging by his sides. Seeing he was done with the example, Steppenwolf released the chef, sending his body dropping to the bottom of the stairs with the rest of his remains. He looked to the other two chefs as they cowered up against the door.

"I do hope the meat he ate wasn't what was meant for Diana. She needs to be fed well and fit if she's to rule this world with me." he said more calmly, though a threat was at the edge of his words.

"No, no! I was working on it myself! No one took a tiny slice, not even me! You know how clean my teeth are!" cried the tiny chef as he bore them, showing they were, indeed, white, likely the cleanest thing there was on Apokalips. Steppenwolf cringed in disgust, as if the very sight of clean teeth made his bowels twist.

"Yes, I can see that now. Is it ready?" he asked, thankful for the chef to close his mouth and nodded.

"Yes, all done! I'll get it for you!" he quickly dashed in through the door and soon reappeared with a grey plate full of lumpy meat on it with a splatter of, what seemed to be, sauce of some sort...

"Ah, good, that should be well enough for her. Good thing I came when I did." Steppenwolf said gladly, as if what he just did a second ago didn't happen. His hand took hold of the plate and passed it over to the Parademon behind him, "Take it to her. If Kalibak is awake again, knock him out like the miserable animal he is." he simply ordered.

Marinette and Adrien watched on closely as the Parademon took the plate and flew towards the bottom, making them groan internally as they saw it approach another door in the far corner, mentally yelling at themselves for missing it. The Parademon put its gun down and opened the door, allowing the light of the lights to fill the dark room.

"I hope to have a huge dinner ready for me and my soldiers when we steak and roast my nephew's heart. And make it a good one!" Steppenwolf ordered as he stormed back up the stairs, making the two chefs nervously wave goodbye to him as they ran back into the kitchen while he disappeared back up the stairs, his shadow flying over Marinette and Adrien as they kept hidden in the dark, relieved that he didn't see them there at all.

"Ugh...he definitely is Darkseid's uncle." Adrien groaned after he heard the latch door close above them.

"Yeah, just as ugly, brutal and monstrous!" Marinette hissed, "Still, at least we got food for the Kwamis and we know where to find Wonder Woman."

"So what should we do? Follow the Parademon and take it out?" Adrien asked.

"Might be better if we wait for it to leave." Marinette suggested, "We don't wanna attract any attention. Last thing we need is old bull-face coming after us..."

Adrien stifled a giggle at Marinette's insult. Bull-face, how appropriate considering Steppenwolf's trademark horned-helmet! Now that the coast was clear, Marinette and Adrien crept out of their hiding place, their Kwamis both hiding in their jackets and gobbling up the meat they'd successfully swiped from the kitchen. Tikki seemed to be forcing herself to eat it, clearly hating the taste of the meat whereas Plagg seemed to like it better than his companion.

"Ya know, for Apokaliptian grub, this ain't too bad." he said, "Still has nothing against Camembert though."

"At least when we get our Miraculous back, you two will be able to use your powers again." Marinette said jovially, "All nice and recharged ready for when we get them back!"

She looked up ahead as she and Adrien headed for where they'd seen the Parademon go to find Wonder Woman. It had been given food to give to her so whether it was going, they'd find her there. With any luck, the Amazon wouldn't be in any danger and would hopefully be uninjured. Once she was freed, the rest of their plan would be plain sailing from here...

* * *

Wonder Woman had once again, given up trying to break free of her shackles after struggling some more. The Amazon just had to admit it, there was no way out of them while she had this control collar on. As long as she was still wearing it, she was as weak as a human being and thus, was here to stay for as long as Steppenwolf desired. Her head hung in defeat, actually now feeling the dreaded hand of despair closing around her. It wasn't often she felt hopeless but in this case, she really couldn't help it. How could Wonder Woman possibly escape if she had no access to her super strength?

"Hera, if you can hear me, I could do with all the help you can spare me..." she mumbled, feeling a little more optimistic just mentioning one of the gods. Amazons like herself had been taught that praying was a useful tool to stave off despair and regain hope so she reasoned that she may as well try it now.

The captive warrior soon had something else to think about as the dungeon door opened up and in walked the Parademon that Steppenwolf had sent to deliver her food. Wonder Woman could see the insectoid creature was carrying a plate of meat that somehow managed to look unappetizing despite being meat. The smell didn't make it any better. She curled her face up in disgust as the Parademon held it up to her.

"I suppose that's for me." she muttered.

The Parademon nodded in response, spearing a piece of meat with a fork and offering it to the chained princess. With her arms held aloft, this was the only way she could eat anything in here.

"Sorry but I'm not hungry." Wonder Woman said, refusing to so much as taste it, "But I'll happily take that fork..."

Before the Parademon could react, Wonder Woman suddenly kicked up with her knee, slamming the plate of food into its face and causing it to stagger backwards as the meat and sauce got into its eyes, scalding them and making it cry out in anguish for the food had been piping hot. The fork it had attempted to use to feed Wonder Woman with had been sent flying and the Amazon quickly caught it with her feet before it could land on the floor. Happy her plan was working, she then swung her legs up towards her chained hands so she was now hanging upside down. She dropped the fork from her feet to her hands and lowered herself, quickly using the fork to pick away at the lock. The Parademon had wiped its eyes clean and could see that Wonder Woman was trying to free herself and quickly grabbed its gun, aiming it at her to try and tempt her to stop what she was doing.

Too late though for Wonder Woman had shoved the fork far enough into the lock to crack it apart, causing the shackles to fly open and drop her onto the floor. Free at last, Wonder Woman reacted quickly as she then threw the fork straight at the Parademon's head like a dart. The fork buried itself straight into its forehead, penetrating through its skull and finishing directly in its brain. The Parademon was dead before it even registered what happened. It collapsed onto the floor, its gun lying forlornly by its side. Blood oozed out of the wound in its head, the fork still sticking out of it. Wonder Woman just rubbed her wrists to ease the aching in her arms and to return the circulation to her hands, which had noticeably gone blue slightly from carrying her weight for so long.

"So kind of you to offer me a way to escape Steppenwolf." she sneered to herself.

Now her hands were better, Wonder Woman pulled the fork out of the Parademon's head, ignoring the blood on it, and used it to pry open the collar around her neck. It was tough and required a lot of pulling and jabbing with it but eventually, the restrictive device clicked open and she threw it away, the Amazon feeling much better now her strength had been restored. It was then she heard the sound of footsteps racing down the stairs, so she hidden herself beside the open door with her back to the wall. Listening closely, she could tell they weren't other Parademons for they would've been flying, nor were they the more heavy footed Apokaliptians. And that made her pause for a moment as realisation came to her.

Waiting patiently, she stifled a gasp as the two newcomers ran into the door, the Amazon's heart jumping in relief as she saw it was Marinette and Adrien, who both looked as if they were ready for a fight. She made herself known with a cry of their names.

"Marinette? Adrien?"

Spinning on their feet, their faces burst into a bright smile as they saw the Amazon, who grabbed their arms in a soft grip, her eyes wide and full of warmth.

"Diana!? Y-You got free!?" Marinette gasped in joyful disbelief.

"Just a second ago, thankfully! How are you two here!?" the Amazon asked after giving them an explanation.

"Didn't get here in the best of ways, actually" Marinette replied as she nervously rubbed her head.

"We got caught by Darkseid, again. He sent us in through the castle's sewage system, to rescue his son...is that him?" Adrien asked as he noticed Kalibak was still unconscious and chained to the wall.

Wonder Woman gave the imprudent prince a quick nod with bitterness.

"Yes, that's him" she confirmed, getting a frown off of Adrien.

"He looks like a lion! Don't tell me Darkseid had sex with some space cat!" he cringed in disgust at the thought of it. This gotten a nervous giggle out of both Marinette and Diana.

"No, not quite." the latter assured before looking at the two with a firm look, "Still, Darkseid couldn't have just sent you both in here to get Kalibak. Am I right to guess he wants you both to bring down the castle's defences?" the Amazon questioned, getting wide eyed looks out of the two.

"Yeah, actually...that easy to guess, huh?" Marinette replied, getting a quick nod off the Amazon.

"Always is when there's a building under assault. He's probably lied to you in saying he'll let you both go after you did so." she added, almost sounding casual about it, and it was understandable, she likely faced stuff like it all the time.

"Yeah. He tried to hide it, but it was so obvious." Adrien answered bitterly, but smiled as he reached his hand into his hoodie pocket, "But, he gave us a couple of friends back" he said more brightly as he pulled Plagg out, who was finishing the last of the meat he had.

"Okay, that honestly wasn't bad! Guess I'll need to eat more than cheese when we get back to Earth!" he said with a lot of pleasure as Tikki floated out from Marinette's pocket.

"Oh goodness...I might need a cookie cake when we get home, Marinette." she said with a sickly look, only to lose it instantly when she saw Wonder Woman in front of her.

"Diana!" she squeaked as she nuzzled the Amazon's cheek.

"Oh my dear little Tikki. Glad to see you back in good hands." Wonder Woman said warmly as she smoothed the Kwami, who smiled as she rested in the Amazon's hands.

"It really is good. They weren't foolish enough to give the Miraculouses back, but it didn't stop us charging up on some food." Tikki told her as Plagg nodded in delight, feeling his strength coming back to him.

"We had a feeling you'd be in here after we got separated. We've got a plan of our own and it's partly worked now that you're free. Basically, we'll still take down the defences, but we'll snatch the Miraculouses from Grail when she gets here, power ourselves up, open a Boom Tube and transport Darkseid as far from here or Earth as possible." Marinette explained to Diana, who smiled, impressed with what the girl told her.

"Quite a good thinker. It's worth a try." Diana said with some thought.

"Yeah, but Darkseid wants us to let loose those huge dogs of Steppenwolf's. He wants them to run wild and kill as many of his soldiers as they can." Adrien then added, getting a slightly raised brow off of Diana.

"Ah, I see. That will be difficult. You see, the castle has a force field around it. Thankfully it doesn't penetrate underground, but it will keep out those that Steppenwolf sees as a threat, programmed into the power bank." she told the two of them.

"Guess it means taking them down at the same time...splitting up then?" Adrien asked with a pained look, not up for doing it again.

"Don't worry. I've been here before. The power grid is hidden in a side room at the back under a lot of cover. Shouldn't be too far from the canine pens." Wonder Woman assured him gently with a confident look in her eyes, leaving him looking relieved.

"Alright. But I'll let them loose. I'd rather you kept Marinette and Plagg close to you, I've not done much of a good job of protecting them." he opened up.

"What did I say back in the Dark Ways? Stop beating yourself up!" Marinette pressed at him, getting a nudge from Plagg.

"Yeah, don't need you staying miserable. Let's bring this house down like a party!" he declared, already up for some action.

"In that case you better be quiet, Plagg. This requires stealth, not brutality...not yet at least." Wonder Woman told the black Kwami as she peeked out of the door, her eyes lighting up as she saw her lasso hung from the wall. "And thankfully, the tide is turning for us. Stay close."

Now the heroes had a plan, they were quick to flee the dungeon and begin carrying it out. Kalibak was left behind as they left the cell and head towards their respective targets. Marinette and Adrien kept true to Wonder Woman's warnings and stayed close to her, determined not to get captured again after being caught by the villains twice already. The Amazon being by their side was also enough to make them feel much safer and more confident, almost like nothing could hurt them and nothing could get in their way. Wonder Woman navigated the castle without error, taking the teens through hallway after hallway without steering them wrong or wandering into danger. If they didn't know any better, Marinette and Adrien could've easily assumed this was her castle and she'd lived here all her life. As they passed through a narrow corridor into another hallway, they quickly retreated back as some Parademons flew by, presumably on patrol for anything suspicious. They carried on, oblivious to the presence of Wonder Woman, Marinette and Adrien.

Now the coast was clear again, Wonder Woman led the two towards a door and opened it up.

"Now this is where we part ways." she announced, "The canine pens are through the door on the left here and the power grid is straight ahead through that door." she pointed to the respective doors, "Once you two have freed the canines, don't go ANYWHERE else except right to me. If I haven't completed my task by the time you're done, you can help me finish it."

"Got it." Marinette confirmed, "We'll come straight to you once we're done. Good luck with that power grid."

"Not that I really need it." Wonder Woman said confidently as she began running to the door straight ahead of her.

The Amazon was gone within seconds, leaving Marinette and Adrien to go out to the pens. The two teenagers found themselves in something a lot like the horse pens on Earth, only they were a lot bigger. They felt as if they were mere dogs compared to this, ironic as a whole. The growls were like that of a dog's but a lot deeper, and the air was somewhat damp, with the pipes above sprinkling out water to keep the giant canines relaxed and cool due to the thick atmosphere of Apokalips. Marinette pointed to the door to the far end of the pens, noticing the daylight leaking in from the outside in the light cracks on the surface.

"I'll go open that." she said quietly, but Adrien quickly caught her risk with a firm look on his face.

"No, not yet, someone on the outside might notice, it'll attract too much attention." he pointed, making Marinette bump her hands on her hips.

"Well, we can't risk getting squashed by them if we don't have the door open...maybe there's some controls nearby, could open all of them. I mean, it's medieval as it is, but there's gotta be something technical around here given the technology they use." she noted to herself as she wandered around a little, looking to the walls to see if there was anything they could use to their advantage.

As Adrien went after her, Tikki and Plagg floated above one of the doors and took notice of one of the giant dogs laying on her side, feeding her six pups, all of whom were about the size of German Shepard's, one of Earth's many dog breeds. Tikki's face twisted up in sympathy while Plagg groaned, trying to resist the heart-warming sight. It was enough for them to forget about their monstrous role on the battlefield and remember that at the end of the day, they were still innocent animals.

"Those poor things, being born into such a hellish world. Born to be killed, or eaten..." she trailed off as she watched in awe at one of the pups getting a clean by its mother.

"That's what happens when you're serving a load of assholes. I know they don't have a choice, but even if they were to be freed into the wild I don't see much good about it." Plagg said more grimly as he flew close to Tikki, who tapped her chin in thought.

"I guess I could talk to Diana about it. Hold on..." the Kwami zipped over some of the pens, keeping count of the ones that had mothers and their pups. Plagg smiled, seeing even in the thickness of a hellish world, Tikki's compassion was still at its strongest...

With Wonder Woman, she trailed down a corridor that she knew would take her to the power grid. She could only hope that Marinette and Adrien were having a better time than she was about to have, given a shadow of a Parademon was stretching out from around the upcoming corner.

Clenching her fists as she picked up speed, she shot through the doorway and bounced off the wall opposite her, sending out her fist as she ploughed into the Parademon, smashing it deeper into the wall behind it. Snatching hold of its belted dagger, she slashed it across its throat and a splatter of blood spurted out from the gash, keeping a tight hold of it as she bounded down the corridor towards the doorway emitting a red light from inside.

Dive rolling inside, she spun on one arm as she tripped up the Parademon inside, sending it tumbling on its back before she finished it off with a vicious stab to the forehead, killing it instantly. Panting lightly, the Amazon gotten to her feet and looked to the blocks of metal holding all the energy and technical power to the castle. Eyeing the lever slotted into a compartment on the side, she rolled her eyes as she walked up to it with her hands flexing their fingers.

"As Cassie would say, the party's coming home. So simple it comes to this." Diana noted to herself with a sigh as she pulled the lever downwards. A slight hum filled the room and a small vibration emitted from the power grid, causing a small rumble to occur throughout the castle, dusts of concrete leaking into the air, and that was enough to tell Diana that the job was getting done, and it wouldn't be long before she'd get company.

Grabbing the blade and pulling it out from the Parademon's head, she quickly glanced out a window and got a good view of the pen's doors. She was hoping they'd open soon.

Back inside the pens, Marinette and Adrien had climbed up onto a gantry where a set of mechanical tools that connected across the whole pen, which meant it wasn't connected to the power grid. Marinette gripped hold of the roundel lever in front of her and began to twist it anti-clockwise.

"Okay, if I'm right, this should open them all!" she groaned as she pulled it, Adrien stepping in to help her.

However, Tikki flew up to her with her stick like arms waving around frantically.

"Wait, wait! Don't open all of them! Some of them are mothers feeding their young! It...it'd be horrible to see them all slaughtered..." she trailed off shyly, getting a soft look from Marinette.

"Oh, uh, right...okay..." she trailed off as she looked at the panel.

Adrien took it in and noticed the two clutch like levers to his side, with rectangular slots on the panel next to them.

"Hang on...if I'm right, the top one probably locks the ones on the higher end inside. Tikki, are they all situated in the top end of the pen?" he asked quickly, looking to her with wide eyes.

"Yes, I checked all of them. Must've kept them put away from the front doors to keep them protected." she figured loudly, getting a smile out of Adrien.

"Okay then. So, if I push this up..." he trailed off as he carried out his actions. A loud set of mechanical clicks echoed around them, getting a brighter beam off him.

"And that should have done it." he said pleasantly.

Now the pens were open, the canines all stood up and stared as if unable to believe that this was actually happening. They had become so used to being shut away unless needed for battle that the pens opening up suddenly like this was strange to them. Was it time for another battle? Or was this somebody trying to help them escape? One of the canines seemed to quickly make up its mind for it scampered straight out into the open, several more joining it afterwards. The only canines left were the ones with their puppies to look after, their pens still closed as Tikki had wanted. Marinette and Adrien watched the canines all leave, smiling to themselves as their plan was continuing to unfold beautifully.

"Boy is Steppenwolf in for a big surprise!" Adrien giggled.

"Let's meet up with Wonder Woman and see how she's doing!" Marinette replied, running off as fast as her legs would carry her.

Adrien quickly followed and the two ran out through the door and to the door that Wonder Woman had gone through to get to the power grid. They saw that she was standing by the window, watching intently and ran up behind her. They were about to say something but the teens noticed Wonder Woman seemed to be smiling at something. They followed her gaze out the window and saw what she could see. There they were, the freed canines running out onto the battlefield outside like free dogs at last. Wonder Woman turned to the teenagers, still smiling.

"Looks like you did it too." she congratulated, "They're free and the power's down. Everything's going swimmingly."

"About time too given what we've been through lately." Adrien said agreeably.

"Let's just hope it all pays off in the end. We've still gotta get our Miraculouses back, and trap Darkseid in a Boom Tube." Marinette pointed out in a firm tone, not wanting to get her hopes up just yet. Tikki flew up beside her owner and patted her cheek.

"Have faith, Marinette. We've come this far, and we can't give up now." the little Kwami said brightly, confidence radiating off of her unlike how she was in the tunnels.

This was enough for Marinette to smile, and just once, as she looked out of the window to see the armies clashing again, hope grew inside her that her nightmare would not come true, that the light would shine brighter now. It wasn't over yet, but she had a feeling that this whole thing would finally be over...

* * *

 _ **Things are looking up for our heroes! But they're not out of the woods yet. They still have to escape Apokalips and imprison Darkseid alongside retrieving the Miraculouses. Will things go wrong again or will the heroes emerge triumphant? Tune in next time as everything comes full circle...**_


	16. Chapter 15: Final Battle

_Chapter 15: Final Battle_

The vibrations from the disabling of the castle's defences vibrated throughout the whole place, but it wasn't that which had made Steppenwolf run to the balcony in confusion, for it was the roars of all of his canines that had reached his ears.

Standing out in the open daylight of Apokalips, Steppenwolf felt terror strike at him as he saw all of his giant dogs trampling through his own army, crushing them like elephants flattening insects in their path, and they weren't stopping, for they were wildly slaughtering their way down the road that would take them to the split point that cut off Darkseid's own forces.

Growling in frustration, Steppenwolf turned to the armoured humanoid next to him with his teeth bare in a vicious snarl.

"Who let them out of their pens!? Who's brought down the defences!?" he demanded angrily, getting the smaller Apokaliptian by his chest plate.

"I-I don't know, sir! Perhaps a Female Fury sneaked in!?" he squealed frightfully, getting a glare off of Steppenwolf as he tossed him aside.

"Well whoever did it has certainly made sure Darkseid is going to make a swift attack against us. Rally the rest of my forces, pull them back to the castle! I will not be bowing to that miserable child!" he ordered, sending his soldier on the way to carry out his order. Gripping his axe as it glowed a bright red, Steppenwolf's eyes narrowed hatefully as he looked to the Armageddon Sector.

"Bring what you can, nephew, for all you'll get here is death!"

* * *

Down at the split point of the Armageddon Sector, Darkseid's lips twitched up in an impressed manner as he saw the giant canines tearing their way through the many Parademons and soldiers of Steppenwolf. Standing fully with his hands behind his back, the god like Apokaliptian's eyes lit up and fired a terrifying zig-zag beam across the gap and sent them tearing through the laser cannons that had been mounted on a few buildings and cliff sides, causing huge explosions that sent hundreds of Parademons scattering and reduced to chunks of limbs.

Finishing his attack with a blast vaporising the Parademons in the eye and raining the air with the ashes of their bodies, Darkseid looked to Grail and Granny Goodness as the canines began to eat up the ground soldiers opposite them.

"They managed to succeed. Grail, be sure to "thank" the two of them when we get to the castle. And don't let their Kwamis get away." he instructed pleasantly, getting a quick nod off of his daughter.

"Understood, father" she replied as she drew out her blade, with Granny Goodness mounting her own canine, raising her axe high into the air.

"FOR THE GLORY OF DARKSEID! FOR DARKSEID!" She screamed loudly, jabbing the canine's neck to charge forward.

The giant dog tore across the path and leapt through the air at a frightening pace, crushing the small remainder of Parademons below it. Behind Granny Goodness, a huge swarm of Darkseid's own Parademons filled the air behind her, firing down at any remaining enemy soldiers down below them.

As Darkseid landed from the jump he just took to get across, Grail followed closely, keeping a grip on the bag that held the Miraculouses, glancing at Darkseid as he calmly walked through the devastation.

"This is it...just need to wait for them all to be in the same space, then off to the Source Wall with them." she thought to herself as she quickly hidden behind a ruin of a building, pulling out her Father Box. Keeping her nerves under control from getting too excited, Grail spoke.

"Father Box, set the coordinates to the Source Wall. When I open up the Boom Tube, suck them straight in." she ordered in a hushed tone, getting a vibration and a bleep to confirm her order had been received. With that done, Grail put her tool away as she took off back onto the road to make way with her father.

* * *

Meanwhile, the battle outside was being observed by the very saboteurs that had allowed it to happen. Wonder Woman, Marinette and Adrien were observing everything that was happening through the window, pleased to see their handiwork in action. Those poor, oppressed dogs were free and getting their revenge on their captors and abusers and as someone who hated seeing cruelty to animals, Wonder Woman felt good to see them free again. She felt no sympathy towards Darkseid and Steppenwolf's forces as they were torn apart by the savage beasts. They had brought this on themselves by following their way of life. It wasn't right to feel this way and she knew it, but the Amazon knew that sometimes, people got what they deserved for not doing what was right.

"Man, look at that one there!" Adrien cried as a canine jumped onto one of Steppenwolf's men and pulled him down effortlessly, reducing him to a bloody mess as its jaws closed around him, "I almost feel sorry for that guy!"

"Yeah, give those guys what they deserve!" Marinette cried, punching the air triumphantly.

"The dogs won't hold out forever." Wonder Woman noted sadly, "This fight will soon become just another battle between Darkseid and Steppenwolf and the poor animals will be among the many casualties that will result."

"I think we better step on it if we wanna end this soon. Look!" Marinette cried frantically.

The princess looked over and saw that indeed, Marinette was right to have said that. Darkseid and Steppenwolf were making their way towards each other, both with intentions to kill. Wonder Woman didn't need to be up close to read their faces, she knew exactly what was on their minds just from watching them.

"They're about to battle again." Wonder Woman noted, "But where's Grail? I'd have assumed Darkseid would keep her close by his side."

"I think that's her behind that building." Adrien said, pointing.

Wonder Woman looked in the blonde boy's direction and saw the ruin he was pointing at. A grey figure with black hair was hiding behind it and watching intently as the inevitable clash of titans was about to begin again.

"That'll be her." Wonder Woman confirmed, "I have a feeling she's got her own agenda going on..." she added, taking note of Grail's position and how she was hiding rather than fighting.

"So what do we do? She's got our Miraculous so we should be making our way to her now!" Marinette cried.

"I actually think she's going to come to us." the Amazon replied in a sharp tone, "Given Darkseid now has the upper hand in the battle, he will more than likely bring the fight right home." she noted as Marinette and Adrien kept watch of the hybrid as she then darted towards the castle wall, slashing down a Parademon in her way.

"She's getting close. Which means we better spring into action, fast." Marinette said in determination, already wanting to get the Miraculouses back instead of standing around forever.

"Just need to wait for the right moment, Marinette..." Wonder Woman said distantly as her eyes locked onto Grail, who was watching her father and great uncle face off against each other. The two were already face-to-face and ready to pummel each other into the dirt.

"I told you I'd be taking my throne back. You've humiliated and tired me enough, and you threatened my son, uncle, so I'll spare you any mercy I was willing to give." Darkseid said coldly as he stood where he was, as if he was basking in the sun amidst the horrific devastation around him.

"Likewise, nephew!" Steppenwolf spat as he drew his glowing axe back, intending to slam it onto the ground in front of him. Before he could even continue it, though, the general was sent flying right back into the door of the castle by a quick blast of Omega Beams from Darkseid, who walked calmly towards the stunned general.

"Whatever our next move is, we better make it now!" Adrien said, already at the edge of his patience, but Wonder Woman took hold of his arm and gave him a firm look before looking down at Grail.

"Not yet..." she said more calmly as the castle rumbled when Darkseid kicked Steppenwolf in the side, sending him crashing into the throne room.

That was when Grail slid into the window above her, and it was all Wonder Woman needed. The Amazon wrapped her arms around the two and, feeling their feet tingle for a second, they tore downwards through the floor, coming down like a rocket. Keeping their eyes closed to avoid getting blinded by the debris, Marinette and Adrien gasped as they found their footing again, now on the bottom floor.

Wonder Woman quickly darted to the wall behind her, keeping her back to it as she kept an ear out for the footsteps of their target, who shortly came around the corner...with her blade swinging around first. Ducking below the deadly swipe, Diana caught Grail's forearm and tore her around from her hiding spot, quickly driving her foot into her stomach to kick her away.

Grail rolled to her feet and looked to Marinette and Adrien as they kept their distance, given they lacked their weapons and half their armour. But that glance from the hybrid was enough for Diana as she shot her lasso out to the bag hanging from Grail's belt.

Just as she realised what was happening, Grail tried to snatch it back as it was pulled from her side. Everything went slow as Grail bounded into Diana with her elbow shoving into her gut, making them both crash through the corner behind them. But in doing so, the lasso was lost from the Amazon's grip and flung the bag from its hold.

Not stopping for a second, Marinette darted into the open and caught hold of the bag, shoving her hand into it. Frantic adrenaline shot through Marinette as Grail's glowing eyes glared back at her, but her hand had caught hold of the three objects she and Adrien needed. Grail rose with her feet planted on Diana's chest, baring her teeth as her eyes lightened up.

Adrien quickly ran in front of Marinette, shielding her from harm as he looked into Grail's eyes with his own hard ones, ready for whatever was coming.

Just as she began to fire, Grail felt her mouth hang open as Marinette slid the Chat Noir ring onto Adrien's finger and her hands jammed the earrings right into her earlobes. Then the little bodies of Tikki and Plagg shot up next to their owners, glaring at Grail as they felt the energy pull inside of them.

"TIKKI, SPOTS ON!" "PLAGG, CLAWS OUT!"

What followed was a great destructive blast of light almost blinding both Grail and Diana, the former of whom actually shielded her eyes in pain at the brightness, cutting off her blast. The power of the light slightly tore through the surrounding area, eating away at the wall and turning them into ash by the tiniest touch.

Then it calmed down suddenly, making the two battling women opened their eyes to see the light glows of red and green emitting from the two teenagers' figures, who stepped forward with Ladyblades and glowing bo-staff tips in hand. Their suits were just as glorious as ever, with even their armour now covered, while their recent wounds had been healed and they stood as fresh as anything new.

Ladybug and Chat Noir were back, smiling confidently as ever.

"Hoo yeah, I've missed this!" Cat Noir cried, twirling his staff around excitedly as if he hadn't done so in years.

"Now I can forget what it felt like to be weak and powerless at last!" Ladybug cried, pointing her blades at Grail, "Hope you enjoyed us when we were powerless Grail, because now you're going down!"

The grey skinned woman's reaction was a simple narrow of the eyes and a gritting of the teeth, taking all this in with little more than a scowl of annoyance than anything.

"Fie, you two weren't a match for me even when you had those Miraculous!" Grail scoffed, "Even Wonder Woman by your side didn't help you much! What makes you think this time will be any different?"

"Because this time, you haven't got any humans to use as hostages." Wonder Woman sneered, "We're on Apokalips amidst your father's forces and your great uncle's. We don't have to hold back this time around."

"Then I guess I'll have the pleasure of taking you all down when you're at your best..." Grail purred, sounding cool and confident with no hint of fear to her voice.

She hurled herself towards Ladybug and Cat Noir, charging towards them in a snarling flurry of blade swipes as she swung her weapon at them. Cat Noir had anticipated the move and quickly shot his staff out towards her. He jabbed her perfectly between the eyes, momentarily disorienting her and bringing her crashing down onto the floor. Grail winced as she felt the Cataclysm sting on her skin furiously. In the brief moment she had been brought down, Wonder Woman pile-dived Grail in the back, slamming her elbow right in the centre of her spine. Grail howled in anguish, the Amazon's elbow feeling like a rock slamming into her. Her scream was quickly silenced by Wonder Woman slamming her other hand down on top of her head. The slam had reduced the world to a swirl of colours and shapes to Grail as her senses had briefly been knocked out of whack. She didn't even notice when Wonder Woman picked her up effortlessly and threw her across the room into the wall, the impact so great it nearly broke the entire structure.

Grail growled angrily as she forced herself back to her feet, the pain in her head subsiding. She held her arm up just in time to block a slashing attack from Ladybug as the spotty heroine swung her blades down on her. She kept one blade pressing against Grail's arm while using her other arm to slash her across the stomach. Being half Apokaliptian, the attack didn't hurt Grail much but it was enough to draw blood and make her wince. Then Ladybug used the pummel of her sword to butt Grail in the side of her head, knocking her down onto her side. Grail quickly flipped herself back onto her feet and readied her own weapon, staring intently at her opponents.

"Alright, you wanna play? Well...now we play for REAL!" she roared, firing a pair of Omega beams out of her eyes.

Wonder Woman sighed as she simply raised one forearm, deflecting the beam and sent it blasting into Grail, sending her crashing through the two walls behind her and into the throne room, where Darkseid and Steppenwolf were slugging it out with each other. The heroic trio observed this with cautious eyes.

"It's a full on brawl in there. Should we chance it and go in?" Ladybug asked Wonder Woman, who nodded.

"Yes. I'll try to get Grail's Father Box off of her and trap those two in a Boom Tube. We have to keep it contained within the throne room, makes it easier." the Amazon replied as she picked up her lasso.

"Alright. Me and Cat Noir will handle the Parademons but we'll try to keep out of Darkseid's and Steppenwolf's way." Ladybug answered as she twirled her Ladyblades in her hands, leading the way in.

And into the throne room the trio went. Chat Noir volleyed himself through the air to the other side and began to clear it of the Parademons on that side. He whacked one off its feet and reduced it to ashes with a simple touch of his staff, then he shoved it up another's chin, destroying it instantly, before kicking another's leg out of place and driving his staff into its chest, killing it. An armoured Apokaliptian caught his head in a grip with its own staff, but Chat Noir brought his legs up, kicked against the pillar in front of him and drove back the armoured annoyance, driving his staff into its toe. The Apokaliptian let out a dry hiss of pain as its whole body was reduced to nothing but a pile of ashes, allowing Chat Noir to get back to work.

Wonder Woman tore throughout the air in a blur, bashing aside anything in her way and avoiding the huge blows of Darkseid and Steppenwolf as the latter threw the other into a corner and began to beat him down as he locked his head in with his horns.

Quickly eying Grail as she tore a Parademon down with her hands, Diana flew right into the hybrid, snatching her off the ground and flew up to the highest point of the throne room, giving Grail a powerful axe kick that sent her hurtling to the floor like a rocket, knocking down a few Parademons below her.

Ladybug had swiftly sliced her blades through two Parademons in her way, quickly twirling on her toes with her blades outstretched at the top and bottom, cutting down any of the insect like aliens closest to her. One swooped at her from above, but she caught sight of it and leapt onto its back, driving one blade through its neck and back flipped in a spin, slicing down another Parademon behind her before landing.

Ladybug quickly moved out of the way as Steppenwolf was flung towards her by Darkseid. Finding cover behind a pillar, she watched as Darkseid threw a punch at his uncle, who rolled aside and slashed at his nephew's back, leaving a deep tear in the armour of the grey skinned Apokaliptian, who was slammed into from behind as his uncle used his horns to bash him into another pillar.

Ladybug sighed in relief, thankful they hadn't noticed her or Chat and Diana. But this was to last shortly as the wall behind her was torn down. Turning on her toes, she was greeted by none other than Granny Goodness, who's eyes lit up hideously as she raised her bloodstained axe.

"You traitorous cow! You dare defy Darkseid!?" she snarled as she lunged at Ladybug, swinging her axe out. Ladybug just managed to duck the swipe and slide in between Granny's legs, quickly kicking forward from behind.

"I'm amazed anyone WOULDN'T defy that monster!" Ladybug spat as Granny was knocked off her feet by the kick.

The rotund goddess picked herself up and shot a hideous glare at Ladybug. If anger and disgust could have a face, it would match Granny Goodness's expression perfectly. Ladybug had to fight of the urge to cringe at the grotesque features of the overweight woman as she dropped into a battle-ready stance. Granny raised her axe and swung it down at Ladybug, her eyes wide and frenzied as if she was going mad. The insect-themed heroine backflipped to avoid being hit by the axe, the bladed weapon cleaving a huge grove into the floor where she'd just been standing seconds ago. She then hurled herself towards Granny Goodness, both blades in hand and crossed in front of her for a double-slice attack. Granny smirked, almost amused that Ladybug was daring to come towards her like so and simply stepped aside as she closed the distance between them. Ladybug couldn't stop herself in time as Granny lashed out with the pummel of her axe and hit her in the back, knocking her straight down onto the floor. Then the elderly goddess seized Ladybug by the neck and hurled her across the room like an Olympic athlete throwing a discus. The spotty heroine cried out as she hurled through the air but luckily for her, Cat Noir saw her and leapt into the air just in time to catch her.

The two landed on the floor with Ladybug and Cat Noir's arms bridal style. The teenage duo then stood together side-by-side as Granny Goodness stared them down, her wrinkled features curled into a devious smile of pleasure as she held her axe close to her face.

"Two very naughty children daring to defy Darkseid...Granny will have to severely punish you both..." she purred as wicked thoughts of the two suffering in her orphanage filled her mind.

"Oh yeah? Well we think Granny needs to rethink her life's choices!" Cat Noir retorted, lashing out at the fat lady with his staff.

He had moved so fast that even Granny Goodness was impressed and was astonished to find herself only just dodging the move with merely seconds to spare. It had been a while since she'd fought ANYONE that could move with such speed! Cat Noir had missed, but he was quick to react by swinging the staff around into Granny's face, sending her reeling to the side. Before she could recover, the feline themed hero then swung the staff down so one end hit Granny on top of her head, then swung it up so the other end slammed hard into her groin. The blow wasn't as effective due to Granny being armour-clad but it was enough to make her stumble in response. Growling angrily, the cruel general swung her axe and slammed it into the ground, creating a shockwave that knocked Cat Noir off his feet. He was down on his back and at Granny Goodness's mercy but Ladybug quickly stopped her by charging into her back from behind, ramming her shoulder into the centre of her spine as hard as she could. The attack knocked Granny Goodness down onto the floor.

Meanwhile, Wonder Woman and Grail were locked in vicious combat together as they threw heavy punches at each other. If they weren't goddesses in some way, these punches would've shattered their bones. Wonder Woman reeled back from one punch Grail threw, her cheek quickly bruising from the impact. Grail then followed up the move by swinging her knee up into Wonder Woman's face, causing blood to pour from her nose. Then to finish off, she roundhouse kicked Wonder Woman in the legs, tripping her up and bringing her down heavily onto the floor. The impact briefly winded Wonder Woman but she wasn't down for long, springing back up and wiping the blood from her nose as Grail tried to attack again. Wonder Woman caught her arm and sharply twisted it, making Grail emit a pained howl in response. Then she pulled on Grail's arm so her head was closer to her own and the Amazon swung it down, headbutting Grail with enough force to shatter a human skull. The blow threw Grail's senses off, reducing the world to a mass of blurs to her. Now she was disoriented, Wonder Woman took advantage of this, throwing a flurry of punches at Grail and hitting her in the vital areas, the face, the stomach, the chest and the shoulders. Then with a savage roar, the Amazon roundhouse kicked Grail and sent her hurling into the wall. She hit it so hard that she burst straight through it, showering the hybrid in dust, brick and mortar.

Despite all of this heavy punishment, Grail still didn't seem done yet. She slowly picked herself up, clutching her head as her senses came back to her. She wipe some blood away from the corner of her mouth and glared at Wonder Woman, her eyes a red pool of hatred.

"Why Diana...why are you getting in my way?!" she rasped, "You're ruining everything! I was going to dispose of father and my great uncle and then you had to interfere! We shouldn't be fighting! We BOTH want to rid ourselves of Darkseid!"

She was thankful the huge sound of the surrounding battle didn't catch the attention of either Darkseid or Steppenwolf, both of whom were still beating the living daylights out of each other to even notice the other combatants around them.

Wonder Woman stood calmly still amidst the destruction all around her, the Amazon's eyes full of a mixture of pity and disappointment as she walked towards Grail, who was not liking this approach as the princess gotten out her lasso.

"You and I do share the same goals, Grail. You just don't understand the meaning of good itself. For while you desire to make a Apokalips a force for it...you'll be just as bad as your father. You'll just let the people of this world suffer from the fallout of this conflict. There will be no peace with New Genesis. There will only be evil ruling here with you or him in charge."

Her voice was as smooth and full of wisdom, and that alone hit Grail in the stomach. If words were a knife, they surely cut into Grail, who's fists shook in rage as she tore towards Diana.

"You don't know that! I can make this world better!" Diana just dodged the punch aimed for her face, grabbing it as she sidestepped and twisted it down.

"And just like your father, your temper is almost beyond reason." she said in a slightly more sadder tone as she pushed the hybrid to her knees.

Grail wasn't going down yet, launching her head back into Wonder Woman's chin, a crack e hoping through the air from the impact. Soaring pain ran through the Amazon's head as she gasped, falling onto her back in her stunned state. Grail wildly spun around and went to stamp on her groin, only for Diana to roll aside and sent Grail crashing onto her own back with a roundhouse kick, banging her head against a piece of rubble that made her whole vision go blurry for a few seconds.

This gave Diana time to dive to her side, wrapping a restraining arm and leg around the hybrid's struggling limbs. The princess shot an arm down to the Father Box on Grail's belt, only for Grail to try tearing her hand away in a desperate struggle.

Their hands were in a pulling match as they both caught hold of the device, each pull stronger than the other. Diana didn't want to pull it too hard as she was at risk of destroying it, something she couldn't allow to happen. As the two women tugged on the device, Wonder Woman managed to swing the grapple in her favour by kicking Grail in the shin, causing her grip to loosen so the Father Box was snatched out of her hand. The Amazon now had the device! But she knew Grail wasn't going to give it up though, so she had to do something now that she suddenly had hold of it by herself.

Eyeing Ladybug a few feet from them, she drew her hand back.

"LADYBUG, CATCH!" she called, throwing the Father Box to her direction.

Ladybug's head snapped around in the direction of Wonder Woman's voice, seeing the Father Box hurling towards her. Reacting quickly, she held her hands out to catch the hi-tech device but unfortunately for her, somebody else managed to catch it instead. It was Darkseid! The Apokaliptian dictator had seen Wonder Woman take the Father Box and throw it to Ladybug so he had quickly stepped in to catch it before she could. The French heroine stepped back as Darkseid glowered at her with his blood red eyes.

"I don't know how Grail managed to lose the Miraculouses back to you but I care not for that outcome." he scoffed, "I'll slaughter you regardless of your superpowered state little girl."

He then fixed his eyes on Ladybug, ready to vaporize her with his Omega Beams. But just as the energy began crackling around his eyes to form a concentrated blast of energy, Wonder Woman pounced onto his back and yanked his head upwards, causing his Omega Beams to blast up into the ceiling. Darkseid had been so taken by surprise that he hadn't even had time to command the beams to move so they went straight up, blowing a massive hole into the ceiling and bringing chunks of it crumbling down to the floor. Wonder Woman held on tightly as Darkseid flailed around, trying to make her let go. Steppenwolf, who had earlier been knocked down by Darkseid, picked himself up and stared incredulously at the Amazon clinging onto his nephew. He couldn't believe his eyes. How the hell did she manage to escape his dungeon?! It didn't matter, he'd make sure she went straight back in when this was over.

"Maybe you can help in bringing down my nephew Amazon..." he purred to himself as he readied his axe.

He slowly advanced on the two opponents as one held on and the other tried to wrestle her off his back. But Steppenwolf's ambush was quickly intercepted as a staff swung into the back of his legs and brought him down onto his knees. Cat Noir had managed to break away from Granny Goodness long enough to interrupt Steppenwolf's attempted ambush. The horned general picked himself up and glared at Cat Noir, his aged features a mask of anger and rage.

"I don't know who YOU are cretin, but you'll be another victim on the battlefield at the blade of my axe!" Steppenwolf bellowed.

"Just try and catch me!" Cat Noir taunted.

Steppenwolf shot his axe around in vicious swing, only for Chat Noir to backflip away from the attack, making the horned helmeted general snarl loudly as he got to his feet and charged after Chat Noir, who ran to the far side of the room, beaming as he gestured with his fingers to get him to come closer.

"C'mon, bull face! Show me how fast those old bones of yours are!" he taunted, making Steppenwolf's eyes turn white as he raised his axe again.

"How dare you mock me you miserable insect!" he yelled back, bringing the axe down towards the blonde teenager, who twirled around to the other side of the pillar he backed himself against. Steppenwolf followed his attack with a vertical slice but realised too late he cut down the pillar, which came tumbling down on top of him, pinning him to the floor.

Chat Noir jumped onto the pillar and ran across it, flashing Steppenwolf a grin as he tried to reach for his axe.

"Happy to entertain you, general, but this kitty's not finished yet!" he called as he leapt off back onto the ground, with the whole throne room now getting a green makeover of Parademon blood.

With Ladybug, she was about to leap onto Darkseid's arm, only for Grail to appear in front of her with a deadly look in her eyes. Staying where she was, Ladybug gripped her Ladyblades tighter as she looked back at Grail. A part of her had been hoping for a rematch with the villainess ever since the battle of Paris.

"For someone who sacrifices time, you're certainly wasting it! Let me get the Father Box, I'll take care of my father, and I'll let you go." she ordered, trying to keep her temper from breaking past it's barriers.

Ladybug just shook her head, an emotionless expression on her face.

"Not having it, Grail. You're just a lying, manipulative backstabber. You do it for a living, and I can't trust that kind of person, no matter if our goals are the same. You'll kill us the first chance you get." she kept her words calm, but made sure each of them hit home at Grail, who looked disappointed at them.

"So that it shall be then. You'll have to get past me". she said as she brought out her blade, getting into a pose as Ladybug did so too. And for some reason, Ladybug felt a huge spark of confidence inside of her this time. She didn't have to hold back here, and she could now put her new fighting skills to good use. Time to show Diana's training with her wasn't for nothing.

Grail charged towards Ladybug with something that sounded like a snarl, but not the kind of snarl any human could make. It was the most inhuman sound Ladybug had ever heard, even if Grail had a humanoid appearance. The spotty heroine held her ground, allowing Grail to believe she was coming in too fast for her and then leapt into the air at the last second, feeling Grail's weapon sweep under her feet as she swung. Then she lashed out with her feet and planted them both onto Grail's shoulders, pulling herself over Grail's head and springing into the air, pushing against her shoulders as she leapt away. Grail didn't fall, but the force of Ladybug's feet pushing her was enough to make her stagger slightly. As soon as Ladybug landed, she spun around and threw one of her Ladyblades at Grail like a boomerang. The New Goddess only just had time to turn around and see the blade spinning towards her before it clipped her across the cheek. It left a small cut that didn't produce a lot of blood, but was enough to at least hurt Grail. The Apokaliptian was even surprised that the girl had managed to do so but a small cut on the cheek was hardly going to slow her down. The Ladyblade boomeranged back to Ladybug, who caught it just as Grail fired a pair of Omega Beams at her. The red-clad teen blocked the blow with both Ladyblades, holding them in an X-shape to shield herself. Grail tried again, zig-zagging the beams around Ladybug so she could hit her from behind instead. This time, she hit her, making Ladybug cry out in pain as she was brought down on her knees.

Ladybug managed to get back up, doing her best to ignore the pain in her back. Grail didn't give he time to recover, seizing the moment to charge into Ladybug shoulder-first and ram her across the room. To the teenage heroine, it felt like being hit by a train. If she didn't have her Miraculous powering her up now, the blow would've shattered every bone in her body. Ladybug hit the wall, crying out upon impact and slumping against it. She picked herself up and pressed herself firmly against the wall as Grail stood before her, pointing her blade at her chest. Ladybug stared fearfully into Grail's eyes, her heart kicking wildly against her ribcage. She couldn't see anyway out of this, not when Grail could run her through with a simple move of her hands. She gulped as she waited for what Grail was going to do next.

"I doubt even your Miraculous will protect you from this..." she purred, her voice full of sadistic glee, suggesting she had no qualms about the fact she was seconds away from murdering a teenage girl.

Ladybug closed her eyes, already feeling the blade penetrating her chest before Grail was about to do it. Grail drew her blade back, but only slightly so as not to give Ladybug even the slightest room to move out the way. Being a New Goddess, she could shove the blade through her opponent's heart with only a slight move. It would be as simple as sticking a hot knife through butter. But just as Ladybug's life was about to end, Grail heard the sound of Omega Beams firing into the ceiling just nearby, causing her to turn around in surprise to see what had happened. Darkseid had tried to fire his Omega Beams but Wonder Woman had forced him to hit the ceiling again. He had come dangerously close to accidentally hitting Grail, Wonder Woman herself having quickly pulled him aside to move the beams away from her. Ladybug opened her eyes, noticing Grail was distracted and quickly roundhouse punched her in the side of her head, catching her completely by surprise and knocking her aside.

Over to Wonder Woman and Darkseid, Darkseid had finally wrestled the Amazon off of himself and sent her sprawling across the floor. In the resulting struggle between the two gods, he had dropped Grail's Father Box but he wasn't interested in retrieving it just yet. He wanted to finish Wonder Woman off for good first. He advanced on Wonder Woman, his huge fists clenched as he prepared to pulverize her into the floor.

"I would be fascinated to hear how you ended up in Steppenwolf's castle too Diana, but I'm more fascinated in finding out how much punishment your body can take before your life finally ends." he crooned softly.

"Oh you'll have to figure it on your own, funnily enough." Diana shot back, eyeing the Father Box behind Darkseid, who chuckled as he stomped his foot down next to him, causing a piece of debris to shoot up and he punched it towards Wonder Woman, who swiftly obliterated it with a kick, and now went into a charge towards Darkseid, who stood calmly as he brought up another pair of rocks. He threw them both right at the Amazon, who now took to the air and destroyed one of the chunks of debris with a single punch, before leaping off of the other that came her way, giving herself a little more boost towards Darkseid.

Before he even realised it, she slammed her Armoured knee right into his face, sending him stumbling back as he just realised the Amazon landed a blow on him. Reacting quickly, he caught her by the other leg as she ensnared the Father Box in her lasso's grip. Pulling her back to face him, he frowned angrily as he saw her smirking, not seeing her hand twirling down with the lasso.

"What are you la-UNF!" he grunted more in surprise than pain as the Father Box landed on his head, forcing him to let go of the Amazon, who skidded under his legs and took off towards Ladybug, who was now on the onslaught against Grail, who lost hold of her blade after Ladybug slashed it out of her hand.

Resorting to using her armoured forearms to block each swipe from the Ladyblades, Grail didn't realise Wonder Woman was coming at her from behind, yet Ladybug did, so the dotted heroine smirked as she dropped to the floor and swiped Grail's legs out from beneath her, making the hybrid crash onto her back as Wonder Woman gotten to them both.

At the same time, Chat Noir had avoided another swipe from the much smaller axe of Granny Goodness, who was snarling wildly as she tried to chop him up. Thanks to his faster moves though, Chat Noir slid to the side from another swing of the axe and locked one of his batons around her neck, pulling her down to the floor and mustering all of his strength to kick her off of him, sending her flying into Darkseid's back, making him groan in frustration as he turned to the collected group of heroes, just as Steppenwolf managed to cut the pillar in half.

Ladybug took all of this in and looked to Wonder Woman.

"This is our chance, we have to open it now!" she cried, wanting to see the backs of the Apokaliptians at long last. Diana nodded and quickly wrapped the lasso around Grail's torso, tightening it up as they both gave each other a firm look.

"Grail, what's the command to open your Father Box?"

"You think that puny lasso will make me talk?!" Grail grunted.

"Don't try to resist, all you'll do is bring unnecessary pain to yourself." Wonder Woman warned.

Grail tried to resist the spell of the Lasso of Truth. She wasn't going to open it, not when her job wasn't done yet! She had to kill Wonder Woman and her teenage sidekicks before doing so! But try as she might, the Apokaliptian/Amazon hybrid was completely at the mercy of the lasso. She couldn't resist it no matter how hard she tried. It felt as if her throat was physically trying to restrain her voice from coming out. Her mouth couldn't stay closed any longer, forcing her to say the words that she was trying to hold back.

"Ungh...F-Father Box...ungh...Open...Open the Boom Tube to the Source Wall!" she spat out reluctantly.

The Father Box obeyed, the cuboid object floating out of Wonder Woman's hands and floating over to Darkseid and Steppenwolf as Grail had ordered it to specifically get rid of them. Darkseid and Steppenwolf stared at it curiously, wonder what was going on. Darkseid shot a suspicious glare over at Grail, having noticed she had opened the Father Box.

"Daughter, what is this?" he demanded.

Grail didn't answer. She knew it was best to let her father find that out for himself. The Father Box began to whirr ominously, energy crackling around the device as the incredible hi-tech device began to open up a Boom Tube to the Source Wall. The box began to shape-shift, no longer looking like a cube but instead looking like a box that had been split open into four parts. A portal formed in the centre of the parts, this being the Boom Tube that Grail had commanded it to open. Once it had opened, the Boom Tube began to pull in anyone who was in close proximity. Luckily for Wonder Woman, Ladybug and Cat Noir, Grail had not ordered the Father Box to suck them in so they weren't effected. They just felt the wind rush past them as the Father Box did its work, both heroines feeling the wind play with their hair as it breezed over them. The Parademons were the first to be pulled in, letting out howls of horror as they were pulled inside. Then Granny Goodness was pulled in, the force of the Boom Tube like a million hands grabbing onto her at once to pull her in. She let out an enraged wail as she was hauled inside, disappearing in seconds.

Darkseid could feel the Boom Tube trying to pull him in and did his best to resist, pulling as hard as he can to try and get away from the sucking power that was tugging onto him. Parademons continued to be pulled in just over him, the Female Furies also quickly following as they were yanked inside with a hideous chorus of screams from all of them. Steppenwolf dug his axe into the floor to hold on, refusing to let the Father Box pull him in too. Darkseid glared at Grail, anger etched all over his grey, wrinkled face.

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE?!" he bellowed at his daughter.

Grail didn't say anything. As disappointed as she was to lose to Wonder Woman, at least she was still getting rid of Darkseid. The world-conqueror could see it in her eyes that his daughter had no shame in what was happening, telling him that she'd PLANNED this from the start! If he was going to disappear into the Boom Tube, at least he'd get his revenge first!

"Treason against your father will NOT be tolerated Grail!" Darkseid snarled, "I'll disappear into that Boom Tube with your death as my final act upon this world!"

He then fired a pair of Omega Beams at Grail. Not even the Boom Tube would save her from that. Grail's eyes widened in horror as the two beams came rushing towards her. Death was coming but she didn't care anymore. At least she'd die knowing her scheme to get rid of Darkseid would be a success. But to her surprise, Ladybug jumped in front of her and blocked the beams with her Ladyblades! She shot a glance over at Grail, her face suggesting she was just as surprised as she was to be saving her life.

"Believe me, if I was anything like your dad, I wouldn't have bothered." she muttered.

"I WILL RETURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRNNNNNNNNNNN..." were the last words that the heroes heard from Darkseid as he finally vanished forever into the portal.

With the two gods now sucked inside, the Father Box shut down the Boom Tube it had opened and returned to its dormant, cuboid form. It floated down to the floor softly and delicately, as if worried it would break if it came down too quickly. Everybody allowed a moment or two to pass before the silence was broken by Ladybug and Cat Noir punching the air in unison, cheering wildly.

"YEAH! We did it!" Cat Noir hollered.

"Darkseid's gone! Yeah, ha, ha!" Ladybug cheered.

"Given he's in the Source Wall, I doubt he'll be clawing his way out anytime soon." Wonder Woman said with a confident smile on her face.

She turned to Grail, who only glared at Wonder Woman angrily. She was still bound in the lasso and wasn't even attempting to break free.

"I suppose we should thank you in a way as sending him there was your idea." Wonder Woman said, her voice genuine in what she said.

"Take all the credit for all I care. You only stole my thunder so why not?" Grail sighed irritably.

Wonder Woman just shrugged and looked over to Ladybug and Cat Noir, the dynamic duo embracing each other warmly as I they hadn't done so in years. What a heart-warming sight it was to see a young couple in love having such a sweet and tender moment between them after winning a long, hard thought battle. They had been through much on Apokalips so this moment was more than deserved for them.

"I honestly thought we'd never beat them!" Cat Noir cried.

"And yet here we are kitty, standing victorious with our biggest battle ever won in our favour!" Ladybug exclaimed, "Oh my gosh, won't THAT be a story to tell? We took on THE biggest villain in the universe and won!"

"I doubt even the entire Justice League would believe it." Wonder Woman laughed, "Although I'd convince them with the Lasso of Truth if they questioned it."

"Heh, I'm sure it will convince them, no doubt about that". Ladybug giggled as she and Chat Noir stood beside the Amazon.

The blonde teenager looked around him, taking in the destruction and all the dead that littered everywhere around them. It was a gruesome sight, making him sigh.

"Don't think I'll ever get use to this, seeing so many bodies...who's gonna see to Apokalips now that Darkseid and Steppenwolf are gone?" he then asked, looking to Diana for an answer. She gave him a small, understanding smile as she looked around too, her eyes filled with sadness at the amount of dead around them.

"I'll be sure to pass all this onto Mister Miracle and Big Barda. Hopefully they'll take control of the place and bring true peace to this world." she said in a slightly optimistic voice, knowing well she'd have a lot to tell when they got home.

Ladybug then looked at Grail with her eyes full of uncertainty, so she glanced to Wonder Woman.

"So, what should we do to the grand architect of Darkseid's and Steppenwolf's defeat? Anywhere where we can imprison her?"

Wonder Woman's eyes lightened up for a second as they settled back onto Grail, who's face twisted into hanging with shock, already knowing well what the Amazon was going to say. Smiling softly, she spoke warmly about her intentions.

"Where else? I'll bring her home...make her into a better person." she said, her voice full of surety over the choice she was making.

"Why show me mercy? You may as well just kill me!" Grail spat venomously, "Your people tried to kill me when I was only an infant! Don't act like you're not as savage as the Amazons are!"

"I don't need to act." Wonder Woman retorted, "Because I'm not. I don't kill unless absolutely necessary. And also, I believe in rehabilitating my enemies rather than killing them. I see good in you still Grail and I'd rather allow you to live in order to see that good."

"That's quite noble of you Diana but if you don't mind me saying...does she really deserve it?" Ladybug asked, "Not that I'm for killing of course, I'm not! I'm just asking, with all the death and destruction she's caused and how she's the reason me and Cat Noir are here in the first place, is she really worth sparing? I'd have thought Grail would be a lost cause myself."

Wonder Woman couldn't fault Ladybug for coming to this conclusion and thinking so little of Grail. The Amazon would be a hypocrite if she'd dared to belittle Ladybug for thinking this since she herself had often wondered if Grail would be better off dead. But she did have a good reason to let her live and knew the right way to word it to make Ladybug see reason.

"I see what you mean my child. But just think about this." Wonder Woman explained, "When a fight is over, there has to be peace on both sides. And I won't achieve that by killing Grail. We also shouldn't see ourselves as the superior good either. We're better off imprisoning Grail and giving her a chance at redemption rather than wasting her so callously."

Ladybug paused for thought as she and Chat Noir took this in. She had to admit, the Amazon knew how to put in reason after something so chaotic had happened, and she knew all too well how peace can only be made if there was no more death. Something the people of Paris were needing after all that had happened lately.

"Yeah...I get what you mean. We can't decide who lives and who dies, especially now. And I guess you'll put a good word in to make sure the Amazons can help her." she then replied with some thought to her tone, with Chat Noir nodding in agreement.

"Yeah, and if I'm right, I'm sure you won't let the Amazons kill her, otherwise you wouldn't be sending her there in the first place." he added, getting a quick nod off of the princess.

"Exactly. Ever since Tikki began teaching me, and since I became a part of man's world, I've helped opened the eyes of my fellow Amazons. They always knew what was needed for peace but they were always clouded by fear, which led them to take more brutal action sometimes...but thanks to Tikki's influence, and the fact that I lived a more quieter life under constant teaching about the many flaws of the world that helped give me a better view on it, they've learnt for the better..." she explained, looking to Grail with her smile still as hopeful as ever.

"And I can promise you that no harm will come to you on Themyscira, Grail. You'll only be stripped of your powers, and you will have to serve some imprisonment for killing members of our pantheon of gods, but there will be constant care for you. To show you what peace really means, and what it's like to be an Amazon. You might be a lot better, given time." she went on.

Grail stared at her in disbelief, but she could see there was little to gain in arguing against the heroes, given she was still in the grip of the Lasso of Truth, and while most of her plan had worked, she didn't have much of a world to rule over given it was almost destroyed and many were now dead...

Sighing as she hung her head in defeat, Grail could only mutter just loud enough for the heroes to hear her.

"Father Box...take us to Themyscira." she said bitterly, her eyes losing much of its colour as she had now accepted what was in store for her.

Obeying her command, the Father Box floated up into the air once more and split open into four parts, forming a Boom Tube between Apokalips and Themyscira. Ladybug and Cat Noir could see a field of green and an ancient temple is through the portal. There would be much more to look at on the other side but just this tiny bit of scenery they could see through the Boom Tube was already looking more inviting than the entirety of Apokalips. Not wanting to spend a minute longer on the planet, the two teens went in first, running straight into the portal. Wonder Woman glanced over at Grail, her eyes hard as if challenging her to dare make a run for it or try to escape now. Grail didn't look at her. At least she was being taken prisoner without a fight, just what Wonder Woman had hoped for. She led Grail into the portal, pulling on the lasso and leading her in like a dog on a leash.

As soon as she stepped out of the Boom Tube on the other side, her eyes winced as darkness became bright light for, as usual, it was a beautiful day on Themyscira. The island was famous for its beautiful weather and seeing the clear blue skies and bright sunshine of the island once more was very welcome for Wonder Woman after being on Apokalips for so long. As soon as she and Grail were through, the Boom Tube closed behind them, leaving no trace that it had ever been there at all. Ladybug and Cat Noir seemed just as delighted as Wonder Woman to be on grassy ground with bright sunshine instead of red skies and hellish scenery. They were taking everything in with awe, amazed that such a beautiful island could actually exist.

"Wow...this is where you came from?" Ladybug gasped, "Diana...this place it's...it's..."

"I know dear Ladybug." Wonder Woman said, her voice full of sentiment, "It's always a treat for me to come back here whenever I can."

"I never thought a Paradise Island could be real...and here I am, standing in one!" Cat Noir cried, "I can see why the Amazons live here! I'd want to if I was an Amazon!"

"Speaking of which, looks like they're coming now." Ladybug noted, eying some oncoming women on horseback riding towards them just down the hill.

Wonder Woman recognized every single one of her Amazon sisters as they rode towards her. Having grown up on the island, she had come to know everybody from their names to their abilities. She could even see her old friend, Artemis, leading the pack. Artemis was as stunning and beautiful as all Amazons with her most notable features including red hair tied into a ludicrously long ponytail. Artemis and the Amazons rode to a stop just before Wonder Woman and the teenage heroes and Artemis dismounted her horse. Her green eyes were full of delight upon seeing her old friend again.

"Diana! It's so good to see you again!" she cried, "The queen wondered if that portal had been you. She'll be so happy to see you again!"

"Likewise Artemis." Wonder Woman said, embracing her friend warmly.

"By the gods!" cried one of the Amazons, "Sisters, do you see this?! The princess has the new Ladybug with her!"

The Amazons all took notice of Ladybug, staring at her with a mixture of interest and excitement. They hadn't seen anybody baring the mantle of Ladybug since their very own Queen Hippolyta had bore the earrings so long ago. Ladybug looked back at them shyly with her hands behind her back, smiling sheepishly. She remembered that Tikki had once been Queen Hippolyta's Kwami but she hadn't expected to suddenly be the centre of attention with all the Amazons staring at her. What was even more surprising was that the Amazons all dismounted their horses and bowed down to her! Artemis included! Wonder Woman was almost tempted to laugh while Cat Noir wasn't sure how to react. Ladybug could only blush in response, not used to this kind of fanfare.

"Um...hi everyone?" she said meekly, shyly waving to the bowing Amazons.

* * *

 ** _It's all coming to a close now. Darkseid is defeated and Grail is prison-bound for Themyscira. And it seems Ladybug has quite an audience too! XD_**

 ** _Tune in next time as this crossover is wrapped up in a neat little bow and we come to the end._**


	17. Chapter 16: Welcome to Themiscyra

_Chapter 16: Welcome to Themiscyra_

Even as their adventure was clearly coming to an end, Ladybug and Chat Noir were still getting amazed by whatever it was their journey gave them, especially now, given this was a welcomed treat. After being on Apokalips for so long, it was a breath of fresh air to be among good people for a change. Despite this, Ladybug found herself getting shy over this as she finished giving her response to the many bowing Amazons. Chat Noir giggled, giving her a wink.

"At least they aren't like rabid press reporters, M'Lady". he pointed out, getting a giggle out of her.

"Good point, Adrien. Still, could you guys stop doing that? Not being rude but you really don't have to do the bowing thing, I'm not your queen or anything..." she said to Artemis and the other Amazons gathered around her.

The red headed Amazon looked up with dismissive look.

"Don't be so foolish, child. The Ladybug is a symbol me and my sisters looked up to for centuries. It's only right we..." she trailed off as her eyes suddenly caught sight of Grail, who was looking greatly bored though it looked as if she was trying to hold her anger back.

"Guess wearing those Miraculouses could've made them loyal to me, even if bright red isn't my colour." she muttered as Artemis and the Amazons jumped to their feet, aiming their weapons right at the hybrid, who glared at Wonder Woman.

"And you say they've not changed?" she asked angrily, feeling as if she had been tricked by all Diana had said.

"Just stay where you are! You two, get Menalippe, tell her to bring the Zero Gauntlets with her!" Artemis ordered, as if she was full of fire in giving out these commands. Two of the Amazons nodded and began to fall back off the beach.

Wonder Woman stepped in between Grail and Artemis, holding her hand out towards the latter in a peaceful gesture.

"Don't be so harsh, Artemis. She's coming quietly, and I can only hope you all treat her with cautious respect." she advised in a calm tone, getting a stern look off of the Amazon.

"As wise as you are, Diana, I don't want to let my guard down around this snake. If she were to have killed my sisters in Bana-Mighdall, I wouldn't be as kind as you are." she hit back, getting a firm roll of the eyes from Diana.

"I don't doubt you on that" she said as Artemis drew her axe back towards her, with Ladybug and Chat Noir taking in the great size of the weapon.

"Okay...I've got a feeling I'm gonna be seeing a lot of strong women. Wouldn't be too shocked if they can lift huge rocks." Ladybug said in slight amazement, only imagining the weight of the axe as Artemis looked to them in slight pleasure of being highly spoken of.

"Heh, wouldn't mind seeing their weapons. Probably make awesome use of them." Chat Noir added with a smile, giving Artemis a thumbs up.

The response he got was something he didn't know how to welcome, as he watched Artemis's face turn into a frown, something the other Amazons on the beach shared as they walked around him, staring at him in a slight mix of confusion and disgust. It sent a shiver through him as he took this in, with Ladybug frowning back at the Amazons as Grail made another comment.

"Looks like I'm not the only one not welcomed here. It'll be interesting to know what's their case with you" she said smugly to Chat Noir, who looked at them with a hurtful face.

"Uh...why're you looking at me like that? Are you...not used to seeing a guy around here?" he asked nervously, getting a sharp response from Artemis.

"Not exactly. You wear a Miraculous that brought great pain to the Amazons." she told him in a tone lesser than friendly, as if she was talking to Grail.

"Wha? What do you mean?" Ladybug asked back a little more defensively, angry that her lover was getting more trouble from the others.

Wonder Woman then stepped towards Artemis, looking as calm as always as she pushed her axe back a little.

"You should remember that this Chat Noir is different, Artemis. Having spent the last few hours with him and Ladybug, and having heard so much, I can gladly tell you Adrien isn't like Hercules. He uses the Chat Noir Miraculous well, likely better than others." she assured, giving Chat Noir a comforting smile to show she wasn't standing for the slight hostility he was getting.

He frowned with Ladybug though over something she just said.

"Hercules? You mean THE Hercules?" the blonde haired teen asked as the Amazons came back with Menallipe.

"He was Chat Noir once? Um...how did things go down?" Ladybug added, taking in the slightly uncomfortable looks from the Amazons around them, making Chat Noir's ears lower out of fear and nervousness. Wonder Woman's eyes showed slight pain as she looked away.

"I think we should talk about it later. Come, we have to see to Grail, persuade my fellow Amazons to get her a light punishment." she replied as Menallipe, an Amazon with a more darker tone of skin, one sided hair set and a purple cape covering one of her arms, slid the Zero Gauntlets onto Grail, covering her hands and forearms in its bulky size.

They were white with gold lining at the top and bottom ends, while her hands were covered in a slightly softer material. They let off a slight glow, slightly covering Grail's whole body in it, sending a shiver through her, and slowly, she began to feel a little...colder, as if the hot fire of anger was taken out of her, with her muscles feeling less tense from the gauntlets being put over her.

She opened her eyes, feeling a little dazed from what she just went through.

"I...I can't feel the Omega Effect...these gauntlets must've been crafted by a fine god." Grail said as she looked at them in fascination.

"Thankfully one you haven't killed. Come, all of you, for Queen Hippolyta will get the final say on what Grail should get." Menallipe said to everyone on the beach.

Ladybug's eyes went wide with amazement upon hearing that name. She was so stunned that she almost didn't know how to react. Wonder Woman looked over at the teen heroine and noticed her expression, easily understanding why Ladybug was feeling this way.

"Queen Hippolyta? As in THE Queen of the Amazons?!" Ladybug squealed, her voice going all high-pitched and excited as she tried to restrain herself.

"The one and only." Artemis confirmed, "The very Amazon who bore the earrings you now possess. It'll be quite a treat for her to meet the newest Ladybug."

The bluenette was so overwhelmed with joy that she had to mentally reassess herself that she was still standing and hadn't fainted already. At the very least, she could barely feel her legs anymore. Cat Noir felt a little nervous for the Amazons hadn't exactly been pleased to see him so he could scarcely imagine how Hippolyta would react to seeing him.

"Will Queen Hippolyta be OK with me around?" Cat Noir asked anxiously, "I mean, there's clearly bad blood going on between the Amazons and my Miraculous. Last thing I want is to be treated like a criminal..."

"Mother will understand Cat Noir. She isn't so judgemental like she used to be." Wonder Woman insisted, "She has come to accept that not all men are like Hercules or Ares. If anything, she'll provide all the answers if you come as well."

Cat Noir shrugged in response, seeing no harm in coming along. He had to admit that he WAS keen to find out why the Amazons hated Hercules and what role did his very ring play in this hatred for him. He also noticed Ladybug was ecstatic at the very idea of meeting Queen Hippolyta so he couldn't let her go without him.

"OK then, here's hoping." Cat Noir said, his voice a mixture of optimism and nervousness.

"Then let's go and meet her at once so that Grail may receive her sentence and you receive the answers to all your questions." Wonder Woman declared.

With that, they journeyed up from the beach and into the coastal homes that housed the many Amazons living there, going about their daily business. Wonder Woman smiled as she took this in, seeing how nothing much had changed since her childhood. Grail looked slightly amazed by what she was seeing, though she tried to hide it with a cold frown as all the civilians looked at her with a mixture of fear and disgust. Grail felt a small pang of hurt, as she felt she had every right to be treated as an equal to them for being half Amazon...but part of her couldn't blame them, for she must've made them feel ashamed to be a product of there home.

Ladybug and Chat Noir gazed around in awe, seeing how light and well structured the homes were. They looked so old and out of place from the rest of the world, but so fresh and new. To any outsider, it was like walking through Ancient Greece despite this being the 21st century.

"Heh, it's like we've gone back in time. They've done well to look after the place. Probably helps being shielded from the rest of the world." the bluenette noted as she saw a food market down a nearby road.

"Yeah. Don't think we'll be coming back here for a while, so I'm gonna enjoy every moment of it. Wonder how they entertain themselves?" Chat Noir said aloud as he saw a few Amazons collecting fresh water from a nearby fountain while others were playing some sort of table games outside a nearby bar of sorts.

"Something tells me I might spend a long time sleeping here. Looks very boring." Grail said dryly, not liking the overly pleased voices of the two teenagers. Artemis just shoved her in the arm, giving the message to keep quiet.

It took them another five minutes to see they were going up higher in the city, climbing up a stretched path alongside a huge tower, which had many entrances stretching out of it from other levels. Shortly, they came to one of the entrances, consisting of two large, dark stone doors with two Amazons guarding it. Seeing who it was coming their way, they gave a slight bow before using their great strength to push the doors open.

A light of fire greeted the eyes of the newcomers, with Ladybug and Chat Noir gasping in awe at the grand scale of the room around them, seeing huge gongs on the upper platforms, with a spiral like sculpture letting in a beam of sunlight from the outside. Many Amazons, mostly warriors, were gathered around in a circular pattern, all of them eyeing Grail intently as Wonder Woman and Artemis led them all in.

Keeping behind a few of the Amazons in front of them, Ladybug held Chat Noir's hand as her eyes took in a certain dark haired older Amazon standing tall with a bronze headpiece sat in her hair while she was clothed in a purple robe with a golden sash, and a breastplate similar to Wonder Woman's over her chest, while a certain blonde haired Amazon stood next to her, her own face lost of any emotion as she looked at Grail.

"Adrien...I think that's her." Ladybug said quietly as she pointed at the Amazon in purple. Chat Noir nodded nervously, squeezing her hand as he felt a sour feeling.

"I think you're right...I might have to keep out of the way." he answered back as the Amazons in front of them began to spread out, causing them to stop in their tracks as they suddenly saw a huge circular hole in between them and Hippolyta, with several fire torches hung to it's walls, lightening it up as they went down further, with a staircase stretching down with them.

Looking up from the pit, Ladybug and Chat Noir froze as Hippolyta's eyes locked onto theirs. There was silent shock and amazement in them, almost in disbelief at what she was seeing far opposite her, something the other Amazons followed shortly with and began to talk amongst themselves.

Grail snorted as she glanced at the two.

"I think we can tell who's going to be the hot subject of today in Amazon history" she said bluntly, only for Hippolyta's eyes to look right at her with a sharp glare, now lost of the awe she had when she saw Ladybug and Chat Noir, who nervously made their way towards Wonder Woman, who gave them a comforting smile as she stood beside them.

All eyes turned to Grail, who felt a wave of dread coming over her as she began to realise her fate was going to be decided. However, Hippolyta looked to Wonder Woman, who have her a slight bow.

"Word got around quickly, my daughter. I almost couldn't believe it at first, but as you can see, we were gathered here in quick preparation for our...soon to be permanent guest." she said firmly as her eyes trailed back to Grail, who shivered under hers and Antiope's gaze.

Diana stepped forward, a firm look on her own face as she began to talk.

"I am glad you were waiting, mother. For what I'm about to say, I'd like you to think it over: since we have changed since the final years of Tikki's presence and opened up to the world of man, I plead with you to treat Grail with the same respect you give to other prisoners of this island." she told her mother, who's eyes narrowed in interest at her daughter's suggestion.

"And what form of respect would you want to have extended towards her, my dear?" she asked in response, looking at her up and down as if she was scanning her.

Chat Noir felt his stomach tighten, not really liking their interaction so far, for it reminded him of how things were with his father. He could only hope it was going like this due to Grail's presence in the room.

"That she's given a cell with enough exposure to sunlight, is fed daily, and in constant discussion with an Amazon of intellect and guidance. And if that goes well...I'd like to see her socialise on the island, under observation by Menallipe of course, for only she can remove the Zero Gauntlets." Wonder Woman explained, causing more quiet talk amongst the Amazons around them, some in disbelief over the suggestion.

"Noble of you as always." Artemis brought up, getting a glad nod from Diana.

"I did learn from the best." she pointed out as Antiope came over to her with an uncertain look.

"That is perhaps a little too fair of a punishment, Diana. She killed her own mother, an Amazon herself, and killed several of the gods in our pantheon, along with many other innocents." she said to her in a firm tone.

"And you think all of that means we should be harsh towards her?" Wonder Woman replied, her tone stern but level so as not to sound confrontational to the Amazon General, "That we should treat her the same way our enemies treat their prisoners? The world of man has taught me that not all people are beyond saving. It is possible for even the most vile of people to be redeemed. I should know..." she added, taking her Lasso of Truth from her hip and showing it to Antiope, "I've often made bad people see the truth of their actions and they changed their ways for the better. Why must Grail be any different? We cannot judge her solely by being related to Darkseid Antiope."

Ladybug and Cat Noir were quietly impressed with how the Princess of the Amazons had worded that speech. They could easily see why she served as an Ambassador between their world and Themiscyra. She always spoke with such wisdom, optimism, hope and courage that it was amazing to think that there'd be ANYBODY who couldn't be swayed by her. It also impressed them to think there really could exist anybody that could be this kind and compassionate. How this woman had ANY enemies at all was anyone's guess as far as they could tell. The two teens glanced over to Hippolyta, wondering how she'd respond. The elegant queen seemed to be sharing Wonder Woman's sentiments for she nodded slowly and looked over at Wonder Woman with gentle eyes. She had the face of a mother who could somehow love everything and hate nothing.

"Once again, my daughter speaks with such wisdom, compassion and logic." Hippolyta announced, her voice low but somehow still radiating power and respect, "The Gods truly blessed us all when they gave her life all these years ago. Diana, we all acquiesce to your demands. We will make sure Grail is treated fairly, just like all other prisoners. Hopefully, we can make her more like an Amazon and less like an Apokaliptian."

Grail was so stunned that for a moment, she wondered if this whole scenario was just one crazy dream she was having. She was so surprised at Hippolyta's response that she couldn't even feel the Zero Gauntlets around her hands. She stared at Queen Hippolyta with an incredulous expression on her face. Grail was staring at the queen as if thinking her head had turned into a turnip.

"You...show me...mercy?!" she gasped, "By the Gods...such a thought would NEVER have occurred to you back then! You really have changed!"

"And all thanks to my beloved daughter." Hippolyta said with pride, glancing at Diana as if she was the most precious treasure she'd ever collected, "She has always been a proud reminder of what the Amazons stood for all those years ago."

"Thank you mother." Wonder Woman said with a polite bow.

"Along with guidance from Tikki, might I add?" Antiope brought up as she glanced at Ladybug, who smiled shyly at the Amazon's look.

"Indeed so. As time goes by, Grail, you'll see things better than the rage filled vision you see right now. All shall be well, as long as you'll cooperate." the queen of the Amazons added with a sharp look with her eyes, making the hybrid grumble in frustration.

"If it means I get to stay alive, I shall do so, however reluctant I am..." she trailed off as Menallipe began to take her down the steps towards one of the first few cell doors.

"We do have a lot to teach you, Grail. Not just the ways of the Amazons...but about your mother. There's so much you do not know about her." Hippolyta said in a sympathetic tone, making the grey skinned woman stop in her tracks for a moment.

She looked up to the queen, who could see, in just these moments, was the image of a lost child full of questions about the world she did not know.

Ladybug and Chat Noir watched as Grail's face turned to that of sadness as she looked to the distance.

"...I shall look forward to what I learn of that, then..." she just gotten out before she continued her walk towards the cell door, which had the typical look of a barred door and a single bed. It wasn't that far from the top, where just enough daylight was beaming in from the large window behind the spiral sculpture.

A sour, twisted feeling came to Grail's stomach as she sat down on the bed. Her lifelong training and mission had all come down to this: being locked behind bars like any other criminal the heroes of the world fought. Her mission for peace and utter goodness had gotten her locked away, even when Apokalips' throne was just within a grasp.

It was just ironic where she was imprisoned now was the place of her birth, and while she saw it...she felt something easing her as she stared into the wall opposite her.

With one final glare shot at them from the imprisoned hybrid, Ladybug and Chat Noir let out a glad sigh as she saw her look to the wall again, seeing that finally, their battle with Grail had come to an end.

Hippolyta then walked towards them, one hand holding the other as she eyed Ladybug with Antiope. She stood opposite the young hero, who shook slightly out of nervousness as it settled into her that right now, in front of her, was another Ladybug. Another, actual holder of the earrings she had on her right now. To be in the presence of not only another Ladybug but a queen was just amazing.

Hippolyta's eyes trailed up and down the bluenette, going soft as she fully took in Ladybug, who she looked right into the face. And then...

"I have to say...didn't think Ladybugs would get smaller." Hippolyta said with a smirk and a light tone.

"Do cut me some slack your majesty, I haven't even graduated High School yet!" Ladybug giggled, "Heck, I'm not even old enough to vote or legally drink yet!"

"Yes, judging from your size, I'd have more associated you with one of Earth's more juvenile teams like the Titans." Hippolyta murmured, "But you stand before me as the new bearer of the earrings I once possessed myself. The keeper of the Miraculous must've deemed you worthy of the earrings child if you are the newest Ladybug."

"Well I did help him out when he tested me on my compassion..." Ladybug remarked, thinking back to when she'd first met Master Fu.

"I pretty much got mine for the same reason." Cat Noir added, "Although the Amazons all looked at me as if I'd just killed one of them...they said something about Hercules being a previous wielder of the ring?"

He had been nervous to bring it up and now he'd asked the question, there was no going back. He was about to find out what it was about the Cat Miraculous that had made Hercules so infamous with the Amazons and why its presence seemed to be a poisonous reminder to them. Hippolyta took in what Cat Noir said with cold eyes, staring at his ring as if it was something that should be destroyed without question. It made the teen hero shudder to think she could look kind and friendly one minute and then cold and stern the next with a simple shift of the eyes.

"Yes...you do not know of what Hercules did with that ring." Hippolyta acknowledged, her voice softer and more gentle as if acknowledging that Cat Noir wasn't an enemy, "I imagine you must be very curious my boy so we shall let you know everything. Rest assured, as you have allied my daughter in battle against Grail, you will NOT be treated as an enemy here."

"Well um...thank you." Cat Noir said shyly, secretly relieved that the worst wasn't going to happen.

"Before I tell you, would you mind shedding your costumes so that I may not only see who are the new bearers of the Miraculous, but also so I may meet your Kwami?" the queen asked, "I have looked forward immensely to seeing Tikki again."

Ladybug and Cat Noir found themselves quite glad to be in the presence of a queen as reasonable as this one right now. They had noticed that she hadn't demanded they do this, she had asked them. Hippolyta was the sort of queen who only made demands when necessary and preferred to ask polite questions rather than order people. Despite this though, Ladybug and Cat Noir weren't sure if they should cede to her request.

"Your majesty, do forgive us, but I don't think we should really do that." Ladybug said cautiously, hoping she'd chosen the right words to say, "We're supposed to keep our identities a secret. We weren't even supposed to know who either one was and yet circumstances caused us to blurt out our secrets."

"There's no need to be so cautious child." Hippolyta said softly, "We won't judge you if that's what you're afraid of. And we're certainly not going to share your secret with anyone outside of Themiscyra. As is, I'll happily agree to drop the request if you don't feel comfortable with it."

Ladybug looked a little thoughtful and she remembered how this was a once in a lifetime opportunity, and given this was the queen of the Amazons asking her, who was being greatly fair towards her boyfriend, she realised it was more fair to be open with another Ladybug. Also, it was fair for Tikki to meet up with a Ladybug she hadn't seen for a long time. So she looked up at her with her mind made up.

"Okay, we'll show you. One Ladybug to another, as they sometimes say." she chirped, getting a quick nod from the queen.

"Then let's leave this room so none of the other prisoners in the pit can see. Can just be between a few of us and you both". Artemis then brought up, gesturing at the prison pit with her axe.

"Yes, that would be wise, thank you, Artemis. As trusting as I am with the rest of my people, it's fair this secret we shall share stays between us. Menallipe, lead the others out. Come this way, the throne room isn't far from here." Diana then offered as she led them towards another stone door that a guard opened for them while Menallipe began leading the other Amazons out.

Following Diana and Hippolyta through the door with Artemis, Antiope, Ladybug and Chat Noir waited for the door to close as they found themselves in a hallway of sorts with a window the far end near a set of stairs. Once the door had closed, they faced the four Amazons with their nerves slightly on the edge, feeling as if they were about to lose their sensibility without their masks. Still, they did it with Batman, so it was best they go through with it now.

"Okay. Tikki, spots off." Ladybug ordered as she closed her eyes.

"Plagg, claws in." Chat Noir said, closing his eyes along with his lover as they felt the wave of colourful magic whiz over them from top to bottom, both of them standing there in their ordinary clothes along with what was left of their Apokaliptian battle armour.

Opening their eyes, Marinette giggled shyly as Tikki floated next to her while Plagg tucked himself into Adrien's pocket, making his holder send out a shy wave at the Amazons, with Artemis, Antiope and Hippolyta staring at them in humbled awe.

"Hello little Tikki." Queen Hippolyta replied softly, "You haven't changed a bit."

The Kwami flew straight up towards her former master and nuzzled against her cheek with glee. It was like watching a kitten nuzzle its master, heart-warming to watch and very adorable.

"Hippolyta!" Tikki squealed with delight, "I never thought I'd see you again after all these years! You look fabulous! It's like no time's passed for you since we parted ways!"

"Antiope tells me I have a few more wrinkles at the very least." Hippolyta snickered, shooting a teasing glance over at her sister, "Though I think honestly, I've aged a little better than she has."

"Always keen to rub it in aren't you my queen?" Antiope retorted, sharing a smile of jest in return.

"Nevertheless, seeing you all again is quite welcome after being fused with Darkseid back on Apokalips." Tikki chirped, her adorable little face lit up with delight, "It's especially a first for me as I get to see TWO Ladybugs in the same room together!"

"You mean you've NEVER had this happen before?" Marinette asked curiously, "This is the first time you've ever met more than one person who's bore your Miraculous?"

"Sure is." Tikki replied, "I always move on from one owner to the next. I don't often get to meet my previous owners, now when I outlive them..."

The tiny Kwami looked away with a remorseful look on her face. It was as if she felt guilty over the fact that she'd outlived some of her previous owners. It was after all, the biggest curse of the Kwami. Being immortal, they were always going to outlive the people who used their powers. Hippolyta shared a sympathetic gaze over at Tikki.

"At least one of your owners is blessed with the same gift as you so this occurrence could happen today." she acknowledged, "You should savour such a proud moment Tikki, getting to interact with more than one person who's wielded your prodigious power."

"If only I had somebody to glad to see again too." Plagg muttered grimly.

Adrien looked down at Plagg and immediately figured out what it was he meant by that. He had to be referring to Hercules. Now he'd brought it up, it was time to finally acknowledge the big elephant in the room.

"So now I can hear it from you as well as the Amazons Plagg, what DID Hercules do with the Cat Ring that made them hate him so much?" he asked.

The Amazons fell silent as their eyes and Marinette's turned to Plagg, who folded his arms with a remorseful look. Tikki eyed him with a lot of sympathy, seeing there was a lot of pain in his little eyes. Marinette cupped him in her hands and held him towards Adrien's face, her own showing a soft look.

"Whatever it was, you don't have to hide it anymore, Plagg. It's always best to share this kind of stuff with people you trust." she advised, getting an agreeing nod from Adrien.

"You, don't keep it all bottled up, pal. Just take it slow". he added in a soft voice.

Blowing out some out from his little mouth, the black Kwami closed his eyes as it all came back to him.

"I should've known better the second I was handed to a demigod. I know these days to everyone on Earth, Hercules was a myth, and most myths have different kinds of stories to tell. Well let me tell you...some of the stuff you guys might've read about Hercules is...sadly true." he said glumly as he opened his eyes, making Adrien's brows push together with wide alarmed eyes.

"You mean...he actually attacked the Amazons? I thought he was just tricked into doing that." he brought up, getting a tut from Hippolyta in response.

"If only that were true..." she grumbled coldly.

"Look...Hercules was a proud guy when I was handed to him. He achieved a lot of things, did the whole underworld thing, battled Medusa, took on that many headed monster, whatever Disney or any other movie showed. Zeus gave me to him out of hope with my power mixing with a demigod, that we could destroy the monsters menacing his people. Should've seen it, just him alone, wearing that ring, powered my abilities through a sword and one slash could wipe out a whole row of an army. He used me for good...but as you know, power sometimes gets the better of you." he said as he glanced at Hippolyta with sympathy in his eyes.

"When Hercules destroyed so many enemies, he became obsessed with making Greece the one kingdom all kings and gods bow towards and follow. Having kicked Hades' butt so many times, he had control of the dead with myself fused to him. When he heard about Hippolyta having Tikki, and what she achieved, Hercules wanted the Ladybug Miraculous...this was way before Diana was born, so it was just a year before Themiscyra was hidden away. So...he took a fleet of his own followers, and the residents of Tartarus and attacked Themiscyra..."

He rubbed one of his arms over his face as he shuddered, suddenly feeling sour as it all came back to him. Marinette listened with baited breath while Adrien's eyes were full of worry over what he was about to hear.

"He...didn't just enslave the Amazons...he tortured some for Hippolyta's whereabouts, killed a few...worse of all he...molested a few others, to try and make them snap, claiming he was their ruler. That was when Hippolyta showed up as Ladybug. She was done hiding under orders from Hera, she wasn't going to stand back. And she gave Hercules hell. For once I was glad I was getting my ass kicked. And the weaker he got from the fight, the more I started to gain control. Like I said, he was a demigod, it's a hard power to live when you're a Kwami like me. And thanks to Hippolyta, I managed to blast myself and the ring from his finger. Zeus showed up with all the other gods, took all the dead back to Tartarus and wiped Hercules from Earth. Last I heard, he's spending a centuries long punishment on Olympus, holding up the whole mountain by himself, for what he did. Zeus made sure history to the Earth was altered, hence why there's so many differences you hear. Tikki tried to cheer me up, kept telling me it wasn't my fault but...back then Hippolyta and the Amazons hated me, they felt I was responsible, saying I just stood back and let him do it...if he wasn't a demigod, I would've destroyed him myself, but I understood Hippolyta's pain...I felt everything he did and it made me sick, inside and out. So I took my Miraculous and shut myself away from the world...it was hard enough telling Master Fu about all this, I made him swear not to hand me over to anyone...then there was you." he finished, looking to Adrien with a glad face, making the blonde haired boy freeze, while the three Amazons frowned in confusion. Marinette, Diana and Tikki just smiled as Plagg went on.

"Being in your possession Adrien, you taught me all over again that not all people are like Hercules and that I could be in the hands of somebody as compassionate and heroic as yourself." Plagg replied, "After the horrors committed under Hercules's control, it was a genuine breath of fresh air to be in the hands of somebody like you. As far as I was concerned, you were a HUGE step up from Hercules! As far as I'm concerned Adrien...you're the best Cat Noir that there's ever been!"

Hearing all of this, Adrien found himself with so many thoughts spinning in his head. It was unbelievable to think that he had been bearing the very Miraculous that Hercules himself had wielded so many years ago. And yet he'd used it to do such terrible things and commit unspeakable atrocities to the Amazons. The blonde boy was finding it hard to even look at his ring the same way again now. He was beginning to feel dirty just wearing it. As he as he was concerned, it was now a symbol of oppression and corruption rather than a mighty gem that bestowed incredible power. But yet...Plagg's final words had really hit home for him. He had effected the Kwami's life so positively that he considered him THE best Cat Noir ever? His heart felt warm with appreciation, not sure what to say about such a kind statement. How wonderful it felt to know he'd had such a positive impact on someone's life, even if it wasn't a human's. He supposed that in a way, he'd managed to twist what had been seen as a weapon of a madman into a tool for heroism, and all without knowing it. Hippolyta seemed to agree for she responded.

"It's quite clear that Plagg thinks very highly of you my boy." she acknowledged, "And considering the fact you use his powers for good, it is a positive sign that we could have a new generation of Cat Noirs. One that aspires to do good, as do those who wield the Ladybug earrings. While Hercules's actions will never be forgotten, I can happily say that Plagg is more than forgiven. I think it only fair that we shift the blame away from him at this point."

"I think so too your majesty." Marinette agreed, "Adrien's proven himself to be very much a hero with the powers of Cat Noir, always watching my back and helping me out any which way he can."

Adrien just smiled with pleasure, knowing that much of what Marinette had said was out of love for him as it was out of experience with the two in action against Hawk Moth's akumas.

"I'm just glad that the Amazons don't have to hate me now." Adrien replied with a meek chuckle.

"I'll have to make sure word of this is passed on fast, especially to my own Amazons in Bana-Mighdall." Artemis said as they began to make their way to the throne room.

"And rest assured, Adrien, this is an island, word will. Go around to everyone's ears. I'm sure they'll remember it, given it's been very long since we've had both a Ladybug and Chat Noir here." Diana said softly to the boy as they climbed the stairs.

"Hopefully seeing him and me alone without fighting was enough of a hint for them. But it'd still be great if you passed the word on. He's been through a lot, your majesty" Marinette spoke up to Hippolyta as she slid a hand into Adrien's, making his cheeks light up happily.

"Speaking of Bana-Mighdall, we had a Ladybug that visited us a few times. Not much of her is known, but I can say she was quite a verbally passionate woman. Can only hope she survived most of Ancient Egypt. Kept our city's location to herself all her life." Artemis explained when the thought came to her.

Marinette looked at the Amazon in shock as it hit her over what she was talking about.

"I-I think I know who you mean! There's a hieroglyph of our in the Louvre. It's, uh, a museum in Paris, in case you don't know." she said nervously as they came to the throne room.

"Well, it is good history is somewhat remembering her. I hope they remember you well, Marinette." Artemis replied as she put her axe down, allowing the two to take in the throne room.

Marinette and Adrien looked around the room with their mouths open and their eyes wide in amazement. The throne room was one of those rooms that looked more extravagant and opulent than it needed to. It gave off the appearance that the whole room was made of gold just by appearance alone. Everything seemed to sparkle and shine in the light, even the throne itself. It must've taken a long time for the architects of this palace to make this room.

"Wow..." Marinette gasped, "I doubt even the Queen of England's throne room looks as amazing as this!"

"There's no need to oversell the place." Hippolyta said modestly, "To an Amazon, this room wouldn't be considered as impressive as some of the other places on this island."

"But we're not from Themiscyra so this will look amazing to us!" Adrien cried.

"Heh, more excitable children from the outside world. Glad to know there is." Antiope said lightly as Diana went to a nearby vase, slipping her hand behind it and pulling something out.

"Good thing I left a spare comm for mother when I last visited." she said to herself as she began to adjust some of its settings.

"Tell me, where is it you two live?" Hippolyta asked as she led them over to the throne with Artemis and Antiope.

"Oh, Paris, the capital of France. In Europe, in case you're unsure." Marinette answered back quickly as Tikki smiled.

"A very cultural place, Hippolyta. Full of so much history and beauty and landmarks. I hope you get to see it someday." the Kwami said brightly, making Antiope nod.

"Might get, what you Outsiders would say, a world tour if negotiations go well. I'm very interested in the country of England, and Japan. I do wonder how much different the cultures of those two islands have changed." she said in a slightly eager tone, something the general didn't often use.

It was then the queen took the seating out of the throne, making Marinette and Adrien do a double gasp at this, not use to seeing a ruler making such use of something as powerfully known as a symbol of control and might.

"I don't know about the royal rulers of today, but those of our era made quite the use of everything we had, even our thrones." Hippolyta spoke, having heard the gasp of the two.

"Something I'll keep in mind to pass onto my Amazons." Artemis said more to herself as Hippolyta brought out, what seemed to be, several scrolls from the throne, making Tikki's eyes light up in delight, showing she knew what they were.

"You've kept them there? After all this time?" she asked in awe as she floated towards the queen, who nodded in pleasure.

"Yes I did. Kept them well looked after, whenever I was on my own. Only other person who I knew about it had to swear to me she wouldn't let slip about the details of the contents." Hippolyta said with a knowing glance to Antiope, who rolled her eyes.

"After all we've been through, I thought you knew to trust me especially." she said sarcastically as she gave her ruler a slight shove with her hand, getting a giggle out of her as Diana joined Marinette and Adrien's sides, sliding her comm into her belt after adjusting it.

"So, um...what're those? They for us?" Marinette asked with interest, taking note of how Tikki knew of them already.

"Indeed. Given the world of today is much more well connected and easy to travel over, it occurred to me that at some point I'd have to entrust these to someone who knew well of the Earth today. Given little Tikki speaks well of you, Marinette, as does Plagg for you, Adrien, I'm entrusting these to you." Hippolyta spoke wisely as she gave one to Marinette, who unrolled it to find something that left her near speechless.

The scroll contained a detailed drawing of a landscape, but down in such a style that you would find in a museum about the great past before the present. Interestingly enough, down to the side were several key items detailed, some looking like stones of varying colours and sizes, along with different sorts of Miraculouses, one of which looked like a snake.

"Are they maps of some kind? Sorry for saying the obvious, but, is that what they are?" Adrien asked politely.

"It certainly is. The last holder I had before Hippolyta advised me to give these to my next holder. Good thing it was Hippolyta Given she had the best way of protecting it." Tikki said brightly as Adrien opened up another.

"I would've given these to Diana as she is very knowledgeable of the outside world, but given Tikki had left Themiscyra long before Diana had left, it couldn't be done. Now, I might not recognise these places, but I'm sure one of them could be your city of Paris. The keeper of the Miraculouses might be helpful in pinpointing where exactly these are." Hippolyta went on as she allowed the two to examine them.

Marinette and Adrien couldn't help but feel amazed as they glanced down at the scrolls a second time. A map of some sorts, and entrusted to them personally! What were all these different Miraculouses that the maps seemed to detail? Were these maps supposed to lead to these gems? And what powers did they contain? They had to admit that they were interested to learn more. Once they got back to Paris, they'd have to show these to Master Fu.

"I wonder if John Constantine would be interested in looking at these too." Wonder Woman thought aloud, seeming to read their thoughts.

"Provided Master Fu hasn't kicked him out already to save his sanity." Adrien remarked.

"Master Fu? Who is he?" Hippolyta asked, hoping she hadn't rudely cut into the conversation.

"Oh, he's the Miraculous Keeper." Tikki quickly replied, "He took over long ago and has been keeper of the Miraculous ever since. He's 186 right now so he's been at it for quite a while!" she added with a slight giggle.

"I had wondered if there was a new keeper after the one I knew had passed on..." the Amazon queen murmured thoughtfully, "Do you know where this new keeper is?" she asked, turning to Marinette.

"Sure do!" Marinette replied cheerfully, "He's living in Paris too. It's how me and Adrien got our Miraculous! I never thought I'd actually meet him personally or that he was that old guy I helped on the street that one time." she reminisced as thoughts on that fateful day she first became Ladybug came back to her.

"Then you'll be able to show him the maps straight away once you return home." Hippolyta said brightly.

"And now I've adjusted the comm's settings, we'll be able to go back to Paris right away." Wonder Woman confirmed.

"That is, unless you two would like to stay a little longer." the queen offered, a kind smile on her face.

Marinette and Adrien both shared a look that was clearly full of desire of some relaxation, and they knew where they would like to go in order to get that downtime, so they looked back to Hippolyta with apologetic faces.

"As nice as it would be to check the whole place out, and really, it looks great, but we've gotta get home. My mom and papa still think I'm with Master Fu and I don't want them to keep worrying all night." she explained politely.

"Yeah, and we can't risk them finding out about her identity as Ladybug, same with me as Chat Noir. They were okay with me despite knowing I'm Hawk Moth's son, but I'm not sure how they'd take this after everything from last time was so soon." Adrien put in, not seeing the slightly distant expression on Marinette's face when he talked of her parents.

Hippolyta nodded in understanding, a smile still on her face.

"That is fine, children. After all you have been through, I can only hope you both get the relaxation you deserve...as long as you don't succumb to inner desires." she finished with a slight smirk, making Marinette and Adrien turn a bright red. They knew exactly what her majesty was implying.

"Whoa, whoa! No need to go that far, your majesty!" the bluenette gasped as her hands waved wildly at her sides.

"Y-Yeah, we-we're only young, not thinking that far!" Adrien said with a shaking hand over his mouth, now too embarrassed to look at Marinette.

The three Amazons in front of them burst into a loud giggle, clearly pleased with the response they got.

"Heh, seems as if your new sense of humour is paying off, Hippolyta." Antiope said as she looked to the ruler of the Amazons.

"Yes, so it is. Many thanks to my daughter for that." she replied as she looked to Wonder Woman, who sighed with an amused face.

"Yes it has. Didn't think it'd get to your head, mother." she said lightly as she brought the comm up, only to pause for a second.

Then, she created a huge amount of silence as she put her arms around her mother and aunt, closing her eyes to treasure the moment. Both Hippolyta and Antiope returned the hug, both smiling warmly as they knew what this meant. Pulling away, their eyes went soft as they looked at each other.

"Do come back soon, my dear. I do wish for your visits to be longer." Hippolyta said lovingly.

"They will, mother. I promise." Diana replied before Hippolyta planted a small kiss on her forehead.

"No matter how long you spend away in the world of men, you'll always be welcomed back again Diana." Hippolyta said kindly, "And we all relish the next time you'll come back."

"And hopefully the next time, our guests can have an extended tour." the princess replied, smiling softly over at the French teens.

Marinette and Adrien knew for a fact they were looking forward to seeing Themiscyra again. They had a feeling that they'd only seen the tip of the iceberg and knew there was much more to see than just this throne room. Maybe next time they came, they'd also come face-to-face with a reformed Grail too, though Marinette still had her doubts that even the Amazons would reform the hybrid villainess. Nevertheless, she was excited at the very idea of coming here again.

With that, Diana stepped away from the crowded group and spoke into her comm, a tone of gladness with her firm voice as she gave out her command.

"Wonder Woman to Chrome Stone, open a Boom Tube to Paris for me, please."

And with the command given, it wasn't long until the humming of the familiar portal first came along and then they were greeted by the white, swirling orb that was going to a small gateway to home.

Tikki flew up to Hippolyta and Antiope, her eyes sad but pleased as she knew what this meant.

"It was so great seeing you both. I promise you, I'll come again. There's so much we have to talk about" she said sweetly. Antiope smiled and gave her head a smooth before Hippolyta cupped her into her hands and gave her a little kiss, getting a beam on the Kwami's face.

"Goodbye, little Tikki. May you and Marinette keep being at your best." she said warmly, taking in the sight of the little Kwami as she was given a small bow from her.

Flying off towards Marinette, she rested in her hands as Plagg sat in Adrien's pocket, giving the three Amazons a grateful look as he could see the look of forgiveness on them.

Diana stood close to the Boom Tube, holding out a hand to the two lovers in a gentle gesture that said only one thing to them. Not giving her a chance to send out her offer, Marinette took hold of her hand as Tikki sat in her pocket, allowing her to take hold of Adrien's own hand.

They shared a long, loving and pleased gaze as they now knew it was all truly finished. It was time to go home.

Yet as her sight started to blur as she walked closer into the Boom Tube, Marinette began to wonder about one thing: her parents. After all she had been through, with Joker, Riddler, Hawk Moth, and going into a huge, destructive battle against the darkest of gods, and her sanity driven towards the tip of the edge...was it time to tell them? To know their daughter was Paris' bright hero? She honestly didn't know...but it was likely the time was getting closer to be open now.

* * *

 _ **And so the battle is over. Grail is imprisoned with a hopeful redemption in the future for her, Ladybug and Cat Noir got to meet Queen Hippolyta herself and now they have maps to other Miraculouses. Given all our heroes have gone through, I think they're due for a break before anything else happens. But what will happen when they return home to Paris? And how will Adrien feel when Master Fu and Constantine share what they've found a few chapters ago?**_

 _ **Tune in for the final chapter next time...**_


	18. Epilogue: Back Home

_Epilogue: Back Home_

The world of Themiscyra became a blur that seemed to shape-shift from one world to the next as Wonder Woman, Ladybug and Cat Noir were transported through the Boom Tube back to Paris. having gone through the teleportation devices plenty of times recently, Ladybug and Cat Noir were getting used to them so this journey didn't have them feeling off. Even as the teleportation concluded and they were no longer roaming through a Boom Tube, but back inside a room somewhere in Paris, they were quickly able to shake off a brief moment of disorientation that often came with teleportation devices. As the Boom Tube was over, Wonder Woman glanced around the room to see where they were. They were inside a building with a Chinese theme going on with its traditional artwork, Chinese style furniture and the familiar smell of incense in the air. This was just where Wonder Woman had wanted to end up.

"Master Fu's place. Good, the Boom Tube knew exactly WHERE in Paris I wanted us to go." she said brightly.

"Why bring us back here?" Marinette asked, "Adrien, I understand as he's staying with Fu after what happened with Hawk Moth and The Joker, but why bring both of us?"

"Didn't want to attract too much attention so teleporting here was the best option." Wonder Woman confirmed, "I wonder how long we've been away now that I think about it..."

She wondered around the room, her eagle eyes sweeping over the place for any sign of a clock. She spotted one and saw that it was still late at night. I had only just passed midnight, something that greatly surprised the Amazon princess.

"By Hera, it's only been a few hours!" she exclaimed, "I'd have thought we'd been gone longer than that."

"It sure feels like it's been ages." Marinette agreed, "All I've been through, it's like I've been away for a week! At least I won't have much to explain to mom and dad as to them, I won't have been gone for that long." she added, sounding relieved to mention this.

"I wonder if time flows differently on Apokalips?" Adrien guessed, "Maybe it felt like we were there for a long time, but a day on Apokalips is probably longer than a day on Earth so an hour there could be more like half an hour for us."

"Experience has taught me that time is never the same everywhere in the universe." Wonder Woman agreed, "Even this planet has different time zones depending where on Earth you are. I'm just glad that it worked out well for us so for your people, they won't have missed you both for too long."

"Still feels like I've been away forever." Marinette said dryly, "It is good to be back though."

"Well, look who managed to run through hell and back! It's the Amazon and the PJ Masks!" exclaimed a familiar British-accented voice from the other side of the room.

Wonder Woman couldn't help but smirk as her nose picked up the familiar smell of cigarettes that often followed this man's voice.

"Hello Constantine." she said simply, turning around to see him just standing in the doorway with his hands in his pockets and Master Fu standing by him.

"So, you managed to galivant off to Apokalips and make it back with your heads still attached. I'm impressed. Usually, somebody comes back from that hell-hole with at least ONE body part missing." Constantine remarked, "No offence to the kids though, but they look like something the cat dragged in. Did Darkseid fuck you two up real bad?"

"The most I can say is that his torture-technician tried..." Marinette muttered, not wanting to relive what she'd been put through at Desaad's hands.

"Ugh, it was horrible. Like having a nightmare within a nightmare, especially with that Desaad guy. Hope we never go to that place again." Adrien said in agreement, putting his arms around his girlfriend to comfort her.

"Best you stay on Earth then, like I do. Space is bloody weird, I can say." Constantine bluntly replied as Master Fu looked to them both.

"I'm really sorry for what you both endured in getting that book back. I should've done something better in keeping it and the Miraculouses safe." he said sadly, seeing it in their eyes the amount of pain they endured on the hellish planet. Marinette smiled as she took the book off Wonder Woman with Tikki floating out beside her.

"Don't he so hard on yourself. Thanks to Grail finding you, we've gotten rid of Darkseid for good, freed his planet, imprisoned Grail, AND we got to meet Diana's mother! Gosh it was so awesome meeting another Ladybug that wasn't a future version of myself!" she said, her voice sounding more ecstatic as she handed him the book.

"Yup, Apokalips has messed her up. Grim one minute, then bright the next." Constantine observed, getting a glare off Marinette as Master Fu stared at her in shock.

"Hippolyta? I must say, that is a warm welcome to know you met a Ladybug like her. I've always wanted to meet her from all the tales Tikki told me since I found her in the temple. Couldn't risk it though, in case someone followed me." he noted, his voice full of gladness and fascination as he wondered what it must've been like.

"It's an awesome place. I think they'd be happy to meet someone like you." Adrien said brightly, smiling at the old Chinese man, who looked slightly shocked by Adrien's behaviour towards him...but he chose not to say anything of it, smiling in return as he was glad to see the boy in a much better mood now.

"Well, it would be nice to pass on my information to a group of people that respects the Kwamis so well. When you have time to take me there of course, Spirit of Truth." he said softly to the Amazon, who beamed in return.

"I'm sure I can arrange something, dear Guardian." she assured, glad to find another kind soul that was eager to pass some good onto her people.

"It was good we went to Themiscyra actually, as Hippolyta had something that could be useful for us." Tikki squeaked pleasantly, giving Marinette a nod so as to get out the next important objects she gotten from the Amazons.

"Yeah, it was good for me too. The Amazons are cool with me now, so I'm glad we went." Plagg added as Marinette brought out the mapped scrolls, handing them over to Master Fu, who looked amazed as he opened them up. Constantine whistled.

"Well, well, looks like we'll be going on a treasure hunt. I've got a metal detector back in London if anyone's interested." Constantine said with a slight smirk, getting a tutt off of Master Fu.

"Always full of sarcasm, even in the face of a new mystery. I have to say, this is a remarkable find. I thought it was only a legend such items existed to co-work with Miraculouses. Looks like I'll be busy for a little while then. I owe your mother thanks, Spirit of Truth, for keeping these safe, a bigger thank you to all of you, for getting the book back and saving so many more lives from those monsters." Master Fu said gratefully, eyeing them all with warmth in his eyes.

"A pleasure as always guardian." Wonder Woman replied modestly, "Although I do feel the need to inquire about Constantine's treatment of you." she added, glancing at him accusingly, "Did you give him too much trouble?"

"Me? Give the old geezer too much trouble?" Constantine gasped in mock surprise, "Why I'm offended! How could you accuse me of committing such an act?!"

"Since he prefers to be snarky rather than giving a straight answer, I'll just get to the point and say that surprisingly, we haven't been too bad together." Master Fu answered impatiently, "Although, we've been up to something of our own while you were all on Apokalips."

"Yeah. We'll want to talk to you about it at some point Adrien." Constantine added, now dropping his sarcastic streak to get serious a moment, "It's all stuff that concerns you after all."

"It is?" Adrien replied, curious to learn more.

"Sure is mate." the occult detective replied, "That and we've got something for you too. A little something to open when you two get a moment together. Consider is a welcome home prezzie if you will."

He then reached into his long coat and pulled out a box that he'd kept in there. He handed it to Adrien, who took it and stared at it inquisitively. He was really keen to see what was in it but Constantine had said to wait until he and Marinette were alone together before opening it. He looked back at Constantine with a look of gratitude on his face.

"Well...thank you." he said, "But what about that stuff that concerns me that you said you want to tell me about?"

Master Fu sighed and patted his arm, giving the blonde boy a sympathetic look.

"I don't want to hide anymore secrets from you, Adrien, especially after all that's happened, but me and Constantine have only just gotten what we were looking for. We'll try to examine what we've found and try to come to some conclusions that we can share with you. Just give us time." he said softly, giving the boy as much as he could with what info he could go on right now.

Adrien's face sunk a little but then he made a small smile as he looked down at Master Fu.

"Well...I'll wait. And I'm glad you've told me, don't have to be kept in the dark about anything else. Can you at least tell me it's good?" he asked, his voice sounding a little pleading as he finished his words. Master Fu's eyes lit up and gave Adrien another pat.

"Let's just say it's going in a good direction. We'll be getting the answers we've been longing to uncover." he assured.

Nooroo and Wayzz nodded in agreement with the Chinese man, the former floating up to Adrien with a kind smile.

"I promise you, Adrien, once we know for certain what we can find, we'll tell you. No more secrets." the purple Kwami said softly, full of gladness to see the boy was back in front of him. Adrien smiled brighter, sensing the honesty in the Kwami.

"I'll take your words for it. Both of you." he said pleasantly.

That was when Constantine rubbed his hands together.

"Well, lovebirds, you should get on back to that pink nest of yours above the bakery. Gotta get some sleep, sit back and be all open about the crap you've gone through, do some smooching, whatever it is teenagers do these days that don't involve phones." he said hastily, eyeing a blushing Marinette and Adrien as Wonder Woman took hold of their arms.

"Yes, Constantine, I'm sure they'll be on their way now. Before you two go, might want to take that armour off. Can't have anyone seeing you wearing them." she informed the two, who gasped as they saw their arms and legs' armour were still on them.

"Good check there, Diana! My parents would've been really suspicious then!" giggled Marinette as she began to take her armour off, as did Adrien.

Shortly, the trio of heroic travellers came down to the bottom floor and walked out into the dark and quiet night of Paris. Marinette sighed in pleasure as she leaned against Adrien, feeling the relief running through him too as they took in the lights of the city. Marinette honestly couldn't believe they were back home in such a short amount of time. Wonder Woman smiled with them.

"I never really took in the beauty of this city at night-time. I'll be sure to do so whenever I visit again." she said warmly, turning to the two lovers with a glad look on her face, happy to find the two in a loving moment again. Marinette's smile looked a little more sad though as she looked at Wonder Woman, with Tikki and Plagg poking their heads out of their owners' respective pockets.

"I guess this is where we say goodbye then?" the girl asked hesitantly, feeling Adrien gently tighten his hold around her.

Wonder Woman's face fell a little for the two teens had worked out exactly what was coming next. The Amazon wasn't always keen on saying goodbye due to being a very loving person, especially whenever she'd befriended somebody. She shook her head sadly.

"I'm afraid so dear children." Wonder Woman confirmed, "I can't stay in Paris forever. When you're an Ambassador for Peace or a member of the Justice League, you can never stay in one place for long. I'll have to return to the Watchtower to report to the League what we've been through together and that Grail and Darkseid are currently disposed of for now."

"It's such a shame you have to go." Marinette said sadly, "I've enjoyed getting to meet you and see your home island. If you'll excuse the pun, I think it's been wonderful getting to fight alongside you Diana."

"Just as awesome as getting to fight alongside Batman if you ask me." Adrien agreed.

Wonder Woman smiled pleasantly, touched that the two teens were thinking so highly of her despite the hell they'd endured at her expense. She pulled the two close and embraced them warmly as if she was a mother hugging her own children. Marinette and Adrien returned the hug, not wanting to let go of their Amazon friend for a long time. The warm, tender scene between them seemed to go on for an age.

"It's been an absolute honour to meet you two." Wonder Woman said warmly, "Much like the Teen Titans, you set an example as to how even the youngest of people can be the greatest of heroes. You're both highly courageous, skilled and selfless. Despite all you've been through, you never gave up and held on till the very end. Paris couldn't be in safer hands with you two."

"Aww, thank you so much!" Marinette cried graciously, swelling with pride.

"I really don't know what to say." Adrien replied, "All I can say is that you're every bit the heroine that people say you are Diana."

"I'm glad I didn't disappoint." Wonder Woman said brightly, "I hope that we can meet again some time in the future children. I'd love for you to meet my boyfriend, Steve Trevor, and to also meet the two Wonder Girls I've fought alongside with. Donna and Cassie would LOVE to meet you both."

"I'd like to meet them both. I bet they're awesome to meet!" Marinette said excitedly.

"And I'd love to see more of Themiscyra next time." Adrien added.

"If I ever get some time off, I promise you two that you'll get a full your of the island." Wonder Woman insisted, "Goodbye Marinette. Goodbye Adrien. It has truly been an honour."

Somebody else had suddenly decided they wanted to say goodbye too. Tikki flew up beside Wonder Woman and nuzzled against her cheek, her little face alight with a wide smile. Wonder Woman only giggled in response.

"Goodbye Princess Diana!" Tikki piped, "It's been great to see you again! You and your mother!"

"Pleasure's all mine Tikki." Wonder Woman replied, kissing her softly on the forehead, "I hope we see each other again very soon."

She broke up the hug and walked away from Marinette and Adrien so she could call down a Boom Tube without dragging any of them with her. Once she was sure it was a safe enough distance, she called into her comm piece.

"Chrome Stone, Boom Tube me to the Watchtower please." Diana ordered.

As a slight hum echoed around her, the Amazon turned on her feet and gazed at the two lovers as they stared back, smiling warmly at the princess, who returned the gesture with a slight wave, her eyes lighting up as a ball of light appeared over her head. Her smile never left her face as she continued to look at Marinette and Adrien, who waved back as the portal took in Wonder Woman, making her face from where she once stood. And shortly enough, the Boom Tube had disappeared into thin air, leaving just an empty space in front of Marinette and Adrien, both of whom sighed after a long pause, the latter wrapping an arm around his girlfriend, giving her a slight smirk.

"Guess it's time to get another princess home, huh?"

"Oh you!" Marinette snickered, playfully shoving Adrien, "Good to see that even outside of costume, you still know how to make cheesy jokes."

"Well Cat Noir was always who I really was." Adrien said casually, "Jokes and all."

"And I couldn't be happier." Marinette said kindly, giving Adrien a peck on the cheek.

With their arms around each other, they both set off for home. After all they'd been through on Apokalips, home never sounded so inviting for either of them...

* * *

Much later, Marinette and Adrien had finally made it back to the bakery. As they had walked home through the brightly lit streets of a nighttime Paris, it had suddenly dawned on them just how exhausting the whole ordeal had been and it was beginning to weigh down on them. They could hardly keep their eyes open and it had taken every last bit of strength in them just to keep walking and not just lie down and go to sleep right now. Once they finally walked through the bakery door, both teens were instantly greeted by the familiar faces of Tom and Sabine Dupain-Cheng. The large man and short woman embraced them both tightly as if they hadn't seen them in years. They were overwhelmed with relief and delight as they hugged the teens.

"Oh my gosh, thank goodness you're back!" Sabine cried, "Me and Tom were so hoping you'd finally come home Marinette!"

"When we heard what was happening with Wonder Woman, Ladybug and Cat Noir fighting that demon-woman-thing, we were worried sick!" Tom exclaimed, "Your mother and I were relieved when you called us earlier to let us know you were safe! I know you said it would be late but we had hoped it wouldn't be TOO late!"

"We...had to stay a little longer than we thought." Marinette said meekly.

"Master Fu's fine now." Adrien quickly mentioned, "And we're glad you two are OK too."

"So how did everything go? Did Ladybug, Cat Noir and Wonder Woman stop that monster?" Sabine asked anxiously.

Marinette and Adrien both smiled at each other before answering.

"Oh they did. We won't be seeing anything from that demonness again." the baker girl said brightly.

"Thank goodness!" Tom muttered, "Wrecking our city like that...that monster got what it deserved!"

"Say...forgive me Marinette but I've noticed there's something different about you." Sabine suddenly said, staring at her daughter as if she'd grown an extra head.

Marinette swallowed nervously. Had Sabine seen something in her eyes that told her what she'd been through on Apokalips? Was she showing signs of fatigue?

"Your hair! That's it!" the Chinese woman exclaimed, "You've got it loose. You haven't had your hair like that since you were five!"

Marinette sighed with relief, glad to see that her mother hadn't noticed anything serious. She ran a hand through her free-flowing hair, almost tempted to laugh that she'd forgotten about that. Her hair wasn't in pigtails like usual and hadn't been since the fight with Grail.

"To be honest, it looks quite nice like that." Tom complimented, "Maybe you should have it like that more often kiddo."

"You two haven't been getting...comfortable with each other have you?" Sabine asked awkwardly.

Marinette and Adrien quickly realized what the Asian woman had just implied, gasping in shock before they both shrieked with laughter at such a silly suggestion, blushing slightly at the same time.

"NO! Of course not! We're too young for that!" Marinette squealed, giggling hysterically.

"Gosh, what did you think was going on between us?!" Adrien cried, trying to hide his face behind his hand.

"Do forgive me, I only asked..." Sabine muttered, rolling her eyes.

"Like Marinette said, we're way too young! N-Nothing like that at all!" Adrien gasped, his face glowing red as the images came to his head, making him glow brighter than before.

"It all just gotten a little stressful over, that's all, felt the need to let it loose! Oh mom, next time I see your hair in a mess you ain't gonna hear the last of it!" Marinette squealed, giggling loudly as she poked her mother in the arm before turning on her toes and rubbing her face into the chest of her boyfriend, who closed his eyes shyly as he could feel her face glowing against him.

Tom winked at Sabine.

"I'll remind you to keep your hair tidy, don't you worry." he teased, getting raised brows from his wife with stern smile.

"Oh you better, Tom! You know our girl never keeps the teasing down when she starts!" she warned.

There was an awakward amount of silence in the air before the four of them burst out laughing and gave each other a soft pat on the arms, seeing just how much it escalated rather pointlessly, though Marinette still had her face buried in Adrien's chest so she hadn't pulled her head out yet, clinging hard to him. Adrien giggled and smoothed his girlfriend's back.

"Uh, you can come out now." he told her, only for Marinette to raise her head slightly to look at him.

"Um, how does my face look? Do I look like a strawberry?" she asked shyly.

Adrien giggled again and gazed down at her with a soft smile.

"No, but you've always been a strawberry to me. Sweet, lovely, little and good." finishing it with a wink, he continued to smile as she sent him a slight glare with her face brightening up in colour even more. Tom and Sabine giggled at this.

"Heh, got her good, dear! Can only imagine how things will get when you're older." Sabine laughed, making Marinette pull her head out with her face still bright.

"Sometimes I hate you guys, you know that?" she said quietly.

"Just glad you still love us, no matter what." Tom replied with a smile as he patted his daughter's back, making her sigh tiredly before her face twisted into a nervous smile.

"Oh would you look at the time, it's twelve thirty! We all need some sleep, y-yeah!?" she yelled, gripping Adrien's hand tightly as she bared her teeth in a slight mixture of politeness and menacing. Tom and Sabine weren't fooled by the look she sent.

"OK, I think we've had enough teasing for now." Tom said hastily, "It's clear we've all stayed up too long. Go on up and get some sleep kiddo. We'll see you in the morning." the large man said, kissing Marinette softly on the forehead.

"And you sleep well too dear Adrien." Sabine said kindly.

"Thanks Mrs. Dupain-Cheng." Adrien replied, "And don't get any ideas what'll happen between us once we get up there." he added quickly to make sure that no other dodgy interpretations could come to the minds of these two.

"We'll just be going to sleep and that's it." Marinette insisted, quickly leaving to get into her room, keen to just get this conversation over with.

Adrien followed her, sharing his girlfriend's determination to let the whole thing drop already. As soon as they reached the attic that was Marinette's bedroom, they climbed up inside and slumped on Marinette's bed together. Never before had they felt so relieved to get off their feet and on a bed. They lay side-by-side, allowing themselves a precious moment of silence to regain themselves and enjoy the quiet for a minute. Half an hour later, Marinette finally broke the silence by saying something.

"When I became Ladybug...I never thought that I'd have adventures quite like THIS." she murmured, "Meeting Batman, seeing Gotham City, meeting Wonder Woman, seeing Apokalips and seeing Themiscyra..."

"We'll be visiting Planet Oa next." Adrien teased.

"Don't tempt fate Adrien." the blue-haired girl retorted, playfully shoving the blonde boy's arm.

"Yeah, for now I just want nothing more than to get back into normal life." Adrien agreed, "Forget all about Darkseid, Grail, Parademons and teleporting to new worlds. I'll happily take a day of school right now."

"Oh yeah, you and me both!" Marinette exclaimed, "Especially as the superhero life's not seeming quite as exciting as it used to be..."

Adrien looked over at his girlfriend with concern. Those words did NOT at all sound right coming out of her mouth. Marinette wouldn't ever say anything like that. Had the whole adventure started getting to her? Had she been more effected than he thought. He turned on his side, his eyes fixed on Marinette's.

"What do you mean?" he asked, "Is there something bothering you?"

Marinette looked to the side and thought over what to say next. She couldn't hide it from her boyfriend, it'd get him worked up in a worried state. But it was clearly on her mind after all they went through. He needed to know.

"Well...don't get me wrong. I like what I do. Keeping the world safe, looking after people with my powers, but...all we went through on Apokalips, all the people that got killed, those battles we got into, and with Joker, I've...I've started to realise I can't take it for granted. I've gotta be better than what I usually am, if I'm going to protect the people I love." she said quietly, looking at him as she finished her sentence. Adrien's green eyes softened as he gazed at her, already putting it together what she meant.

"Does this have to do with what Desaad showed you?" He asked, his voice full of concern for his girlfriend, already wanting to give her all the support he could. She made a small nod with sad eyes.

"Yeah...you didn't see it, Adrien, but I saw all the risks I'm taking, everyone's trust in me, my identity and my parents...I can't take this lightly any longer. And please don't think it's your fault, it'll never be your fault. It's just after all this...I'm not going to take this superhero stuff with a skip in my step. So..." she trailed off with a sigh, not sure how to put what she was going to say next.

"So...what?" Adrien asked, interested in what she was going to say. Deciding she needed to get it out to him, she just said it.

"Do you...do you think I should tell my mom and papa?" she put it as simply and seriously as she could, leaving Adrien silenced for a few seconds. His eyes looked away as the very images of her parents finding out came to his head, and he wasn't sure he liked them. He wasn't up for facing a really angry Tom Dupain-Chang or a shocked and betrayed Sabine...then again, would they react like that? Given the type of people they were, they might take it completely differently.

Looking to her with an unsure face, Adrien spoke.

"I...I don't know...what do you think you'd achieve if you did tell them?" he asked her. Now Marinette looked thoughtful as she tried to find the right words to put it out. It didn't take long.

"Because if I do...there's a chance it could stop my fears from coming true. I mean, it means they could trust me more and be helpful in their own way, and we could plan something out together in protecting my identity if someone tries to unmask me, they won't have the press on their doorstep...but I don't know either. Please help me out, Adrien." she begged, grabbing her head in frustration as the thoughts kept going through her.

Adrien just smiled and put a hand on her arm to ease her nerves.

"Well...I don't think you should tell them now, given they know I'm Hawk Moth's son, they went to America and back recently, and Grail attacked the city, I think you telling them you're Ladybug right now wouldn't be good. I don't like keeping secrets either, but just give it a week, or a month, let everything calm down. That's all I can really say." he offered softly, seeing how much it was frustrating his girlfriend, who took on what he said and felt herself relax, seeing the sense he made.

"Yeah, guess now isn't a good time. Can't have them getting upset, because they obviously will. But when I do tell them, you'll be there with me, yeah?" she asked in a hopeful tone. His smile only brightened more as he smoothed her arm.

"You know I will. I'll tell them who I am too, so they can get the full picture. But another thing I will say is this: we can't let our fears control us, otherwise we won't get anywhere. I mean, I'm still terrified at what the public will do to me if they see me, but it's not gonna stop me from going to school or do what's right. And I'll gladly keep doing it with you, M'Lady." he explained.

Marinette's mouth parted in awe at what he said, taking in how assuring he was in what he was giving out to her. Yes, fear shouldn't control her, otherwise evil will win, and she knew she wasn't in this alone. She had him, and that was enough for her. She bumped her nose against his and gazed into his eyes.

"Glad you will, my kitty cat." she whispered, giving his nose a little kiss.

Adrien felt his stomach flutter and his eyes closed out of shyness. He'd gotten Marinette to relax, all thanks to his use of words, something he didn't have much confidence in. All he could do was smile at her in response, taking in her whole self. He was so glad to have her in his life. She was the light against all the dark he felt he was stuck in, and it was just her he wanted to be with, no matter what. Goodness he was glad...

"Hey, before you guys fall asleep, mind opening that box Constantine gave you? I really wanna know what's in there!" Plagg called out from behind, pointing at the box in front of him.

"Nothing good can be in there if it's from him." Tikki muttered, eyeing the box with distrust. Marinette and Adrien giggled at their Kwamis as the latter picked it up.

"If it's actually a portal leading to some mystic reality, I'll be sure to give it back." he said lightly as he then opened it...and almost instantly his face became lost of any emotion.

Marinette looked concerned. Well, at least they could confirm it WASN'T a portal like Adrien had joked. But what was in that box? She peered over his shoulder and put a hand to her mouth in surprise. In the box...was a blue scarf. Not just any blue scarf, but the one Adrien had received for his birthday when Hawk Moth had akumatized Nino into The Bubbler. Adrien picked it up out of the box and glared at it as if the thing was a poisonous snake waiting to bite him.

"Trust Constantine to mess around with me again." he growled, "He seriously thinks I'D want this after finding out who Hawk Moth was?! I don't want anything to do with my dad after all he did as that monster!"

"But...Adrien...that's NOT your dad's present..." Marinette whispered.

"What do you mean? He gave it to me for my birthday!" Adrien cried.

"No...I did!" the teen girl insisted, "I made it myself and gave it to you as a birthday present...but your dad took all the credit. Guess he was too busy being Hawk Moth to actually buy you a gift himself so made you think it was from him."

As if to prove her point more, she took the scarf from Adrien and showed her something on it. The blonde boy looked closely at where Marinette's finger was pointing. His eyes widened as he saw something he'd never noticed on it before. There, on the right corner of the soft clothing accessory was Marinette's trademark signature that he'd seen on her hat she'd designed for his dad's contest a while back. So it was true. It had been from her the whole time and he'd been manipulated into thinking otherwise! Even in death, Hawk Moth was still finding ways to hurt him. Adrien shook his head in disgust.

"Another lie...just like that bastard..." he growled angrily, "I was stupid enough to actually believe that that scarf was from him! Puh, should've known it wasn't! Marinette, you have no idea how sorry I am that I didn't realize this from the start! I'm glad I don't have to acknowledge it as a gift from him anymore but still, you gave me this out of the kindness of your heart and dad manipulated me into giving all credit to him! Oh gosh Marinette, I don't even know what to say anymore!"

He ran his hands through his hair as a bitter, sour feeling twisted inside of him, looking away from Marinette as if he was too self-ashamed to look at her. And he was. To have been so gullible and hopeful that his father actually got him something made him even more angry, not even stopping to ask Marinette anything about the scarf before...heck, how did he not even see the signature until now!?

Marinette started at him in silence with a hung open mouth, sadness in her eyes to see him in such a bad mood. More so because he was now laying into himself even more, but this time he was more vicious about it.

"Gosh I've been so thick...just...how could you have ever wanted to be with me, Marinette? I...I didn't notice your signature on this, I...I hardly noticed you back then...I must've been the most idiotic, ignorant, hopeless and gullible brat back then...I don't deserve you...I don't even know how much else you've given up and done just to make me feel better...to show how much you love me...I was right on Apokalips...you deserve someone so much better than me"

He hung his head low as he stared at his hands in disgust, as if he was looking at puppet strings his father had used to pull him around and was now just seeing how much else he was pulled into thinking so highly and hopeful of his father.

Marinette, however, pursed her lips together to fight off her own tears while Tikki and Plagg floated back, seeing things were about to get really emotional between the two. She grabbed her boyfriend's hands with a lot of strength that made him look at her with a slight wince. He could see fire in her eyes, fire that was ready to burn out the sour feelings he could feel right now.

"Adrien...don't you dare say that! There's no one else who I'd want to be! I let you think it was your dad because I wanted you to be happy! I was fine with it because it meant that much to you! And I was scared...I was scared I was gonna scare you with it...that you'd think I was just a freak with an obsession...I didn't say anything for you. And don't you think I'm gonna let you leave me over something like this...it's just like what you said just now...we have to go forward. And I'd rather do it with you than going with some weird singing teenager or an artist. You're flawed and so am I...it's called being human, it's normal. You made a mistake and it's okay. And I want to be with you no other way. I don't want anyone else but you. You hear me?"

Adrien took all of this in with surprise and adoration. He never could've anticipated that Marinette meant that much to him. Despite never really taking notice of her in the past, she still wanted to be his girlfriend. He had to ask himself what on Earth he'd done to deserve a wonderful girl like Marinette in his life. He was nevertheless grateful about it. If this had been Chloe, she wouldn't have cared and would've just dumped him for that. But not Marinette. Hearing her say all this to him and insist he wasn't a bad person for overlooking her just made him feel more grateful that of all the girls in the world he could be in a relationship with, she was the one.

He smiled in appreciation at Marinette, pulling her slowly into a hug as a single, happy tear formed in the corner of his eye. Marinette returned the hug, glad to see Adrien had taken her words to heart.

"M'Lady, I don't know what it is you see in me...but I couldn't be more grateful to have you in my life." the blonde boy replied.

"And I'm so glad that you're in mine." Marinette said happily.

"At the very least though, you've given so much for me and I think it's time I started giving back." Adrien said, running a hand down Marinette's back, "It's the least I can do to return the favour?"

"I think your smile's the best thing you could ever give me." the blue-haired girl said teasingly.

She wrapped the scarf around Adrien, happy to see him wearing it again and this time, in a way where her signature was visible. Now everybody could see it was her's.

"Still suits you." Marinette whispered, her lips very close to Adrien's as they leaned into one another.

Plagg rolled his eyes and looked away while Tikki watched on with an excited smile as Marinette and Adrien shared a loving kiss, their eyes closed and full of content as Marinette rested against him, both feeling the pulls of tiredness taking them to the realm of sleep, finally getting some much deserved rest after their adventure with one of the greatest heroes on Earth,

* * *

Others weren't getting any sleep however, for back at Master Fu's home, he and Constantine had laid out the scrolls of maps they had been given, with the book open and wide next to them.

"Looks like you've got your work cut out for ya, mate. Need some forged passports, you know who to go to." Constantine noted as he put a map piece down on the table.

"I'm not going to trust your methods of world travelling, thank you, John. I won't even use Swamp Thing as a tool of travel like you do." Master Fu shot back as he stared down at the maps in interest.

"That's because me and him have a special understanding of one another, might help you with that too."

"Oh I'm sure." the Chinese man responded, sounding less interested in Constantine's words

"Who do you think would've had the time to hide all these items, master? Travelling the Earth back then wasn't easy." Wayzz then asked after observing the map pieces.

"Indeed not, but if I'm right to believe this was from another Ladybug who did this, she must've had great power to achieve all of this. Hopefully the book might reveal more about which Ladybug it could've been." Master Fu pointed out as he then looked to the book.

"It could've been a complete unknown person, someone who kept themselves to the dark." Nooroo suggested.

"Probably." Master Fu replied as he began to look through the book.

"Still, you can't expect our Adrien and his girlfriend to go travelling around the Earth without coming up with some good excuses. What they did with Wondie today was difficult enough." Constantine said in a firm tone, as if he was giving Master Fu a lecture about anything on his mind.

"Exactly. Which is why I'm thinking of expanding our numbers in Paris, to try and build more trust and time we can use." Master Fu said as he finished going through the book, turning onto a two page spread, showing the Fox and Turtle Miraculous holders again, both just as detailed brilliantly in the old art of Asia. Constantine smirked as he looked at Master Fu.

"More recruits. A Justice League for Paris, eh?" he remarked, sounding amused.

"That is one way of putting it." Fu confirmed, "We're in very trying times now Constantine and Ladybug & Cat Noir cannot handle it all by themselves. They need some recruits. Paris needs more heroes to protect the world from evil."

"It's always how it works mate." Constantine agreed, "The more evil rises, the more heroes we need to knock them down again. I do wonder who's kids you'll be willing to throw into mortal peril with whatever Miraculous items you have lying about. Thankfully not the mayor's daughter since she's dead, can you imagine HER with a Miraculous?! Bloody hell, she'd be a bleeding nightmare with that kind of power..."

Master Fu hated to admit it but what Constantine had said pinched a bit of a nerve in him as it was one of the greatest guilts he had to live with as a keeper of the Miraculous, giving precious, powerful items to mere children and thus, putting their lives in danger. Anytime they got hurt or killed, it was all on him and he had to live with that, just like any keeper before him. Could he dare risk more children's lives for the sake of the world? Could he bear to risk have another minor's death on his hands? He was considering whether or not he should change his mind but his thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

"If you're some kind of demonic cultist, we're not interested in what yer preaching!" Constantine snapped rudely.

Both he and Master Fu received a surprise when the door opened and in walked...Natalie. Gabriel Agreste's secretary. The stone-faced woman seemed to have lost a bit of her composure for she certainly didn't look as cold and emotionless as usual. This time around, she looked...serious. Not the kind of serious that her job demanded, but the kind that meant something important needed to be told. Constantine narrowed his eyes at Natalie, a pair of distrustful slits peering out into her own orbs.

"So, Gabriel's little minion comes rushing to us." the British con-man sneered, "State your business and make it quick before I call a demon of some kind to get your running back to whatever squalor you crawled out of."

"Constantine, not so confrontational please..." Master Fu sighed, "So what exactly are you here for Natalie?"

Natalia spoke with her voice full of utmost sternness, more than what she carried when she talked to Adrien.

"Its about Adrien. I've got information about his mother, which I haven't disclosed to the authorities. Given your professionalism and use of the Miraculouses, I hoped you'd be more trustworthy with this information." she explained, her voice going quieter as she finished.

"You think I'm gonna trust some bloomin' liar when all she's done is help pick up after Gabriel in everything he did? How did Interpol let you go? Have a Miraculous of your own? Or is it some sort of hypnosis you use?" Constantine shot back, eyeing her up and down with a lot of distrust. Natalie's lips twisted as she scowled at the blonde man, clenching her fists in anger.

"I had no choice, okay!? Listen, there were times where I wanted to tell Adrien the truth! All about what his father had done, where his mother really is! I had to see that boy suffer everyday from his father's neglect, but I knew if I said ANYTHING, Gabriel would've gotten rid of me in any way he could! I've been treated as a mere obedient simpleton by that man enough, and I'm not going to get walked over by judgemental idiots who don't have the slightest idea of what they're doing anymore! This is for Adrien and Emilie, nothing else!"

Constantine looked slightly shocked by the outburst, only to raise his eyebrows in slight pleasure at what he just seen while Nooroo hidden behind Master Fu.

"Oh my, looks like your feathers got really ruffled then. What do you say to that then, Fu Fu? You are Adrien's legal guardian after all." Constantine said with a slight smirk, eyeing the older man in interest.

Master Fu sighed and nodded with his eyes closed.

"It seems I'm not the only one that seeks to bring closure to Adrien about Emilie. If you know anything, Natalie, it will be helpful. You were Emilie's most trusted friend, so I'll trust you...for now." he said cautiously as he looked at her, stepping back to give her way to come in.

Natalie sighed and regained her nerves, stepping inside "Whatever I'll tell you both, you have to keep it between yourselves and keep it in this place. Adrien can't know until we deem it to be right. If there is something I do know, our enemy is everywhere and we can't give them a chance to win" she said, lowering her voice as she closed the door behind her, almost scared that someone was coming after her.

"Enemy? What sort of enemy?" Constantine asked with interest "I'll tell you everything. Let's sit down, it's going to be a long story, just to let you be aware of it".

Whatever it was that Natalie was to tell them, it was going to make the two rethink their original plans. But no matter what, they had one thing they wanted now: Emilie Agreste had to be found, for now the whole world was relying on it. And Natalie could only hope this was just the beginning of bringing it all to an end for themselves.

The end...for now.

* * *

As the night slowly turned towards the light of the day, the streets had gone quiet, everyone now desperately hiding in their homes to keep themselves safe from all that had happened. Not just with what happened in the day, but from all else that had happened. Hawkmoth left his mark on the city, for he Akumatised so many people, and helped kill a child with aid from two of Gotham's most fearsome of criminals. His identity alone had divided the whole city, for his name and fame was now being destroyed, but his son's life was now in the centre of it all...and now there was distrust towards Ladybug and Chat Noir after today.

"They're all like sheep. Alone, scared, with no dog or shepherd to guide them, to gather them together to make them see sense. But they will, when the time is right." said a gravely northern British voice as he silently strode under the Eiffel Tower, which had been turned off for the night.

Black boots softly planted themselves on the ground right beneath the middle of the landmark, before a pair of skinny hands lowered down and jammed something into the concrete. It looked dark, like a seed, yet slightly bigger than a normal one. He pressed it hard into the ground until it burst open like a popped berry, dark ooze splattering and shifting into the ground. The figure stood back up, his long leather coat tightly holding to his body as pulled something out from inside it, his bare chest tattooed with the Union Jack Flag.

"Their fear and confusion shall be well used with this seed. Soon they'll turn to me for help, for I see it it as how it is: black is black, and white is white, as Manchester Black knows what's right..."

* * *

Meanwhile on Apokalips, Steppenwolf's castle was barren and empty as a result of everybody being sucked into the Source Wall by Grail's Father Box earlier...all that is but one. As such, there was nobody around to hear the questions of the castle's only remaining occupant as Kalibak came out of his unconscious state and called out to no one in particular from inside his cell.

"Um...hello? Anyone here? Hello? I'm starving! Is anyone bringing my dinner? Where's my father? Is anybody coming to rescue me?!"

There was nothing but the wind blowing he gotten in response from, leaving Kalibak stuck in the dungeon he had been long trapped in like the idiot he was.

* * *

 _ **And thus another crossover comes to an end. Wonder Woman, Ladybug and Cat Noir are back home away from Apokalips and getting some much needed rest. But it seems that as one chapter comes to a close, another opens up. What is Natalie telling Fu and Constantine about Emilie Agreste? Will Adrien hear any of this at all and if so, what will he think? Who is Manchester Black? What has he planted into the grounds of Paris? Is any of this connected to what's happened to Emilie Agreste? Who will be the new heroes to wield Miraculous powers to protect Paris from danger?**_

 _ **So many questions...but the answers don't lie in this story. It's over now! But it isn't the end of Ladybug and Cat Noir's adventures with the DC Heroes yet! Get yourselves ready folks for next time, Ladybug and Cat Noir team up with Young Justice as The Light infiltrate Paris to find out where source of power the city seems to have. It's a sequel you DON'T wanna miss, especially as it may even answer some of the questions this crossover has left us with!**_

 _ **Nothing more to say other than me and my co-writer, Reece Wooldridge/Tails-2-Me, have had fun writing this crossover and we hope you've enjoyed it as much as we did when writing it! We hope you'll enjoy the upcoming sequel with Ladybug and Young Justice too. See you then readers! :D**_


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